(Ir)Reverend Ramblings

Life can carry us along and before we know it weeks have passed. I say this because, if you have been checking my blog, you will know that I have not written for a couple of weeks. What has happened? Well, it is all good. First I took a week of vacation. Then I needed a week to catch up from my vacation! It has made me realize, yet again, how important it is to have moments of quiet.

Life is full – I don’t need to tell you that. No doubt you check the calendar to see what you have on today, this week, this month. Regularly checking to note when are your appointments, when are your meetings, when is someone coming to visit, when is the book due back at the library and on and on. Being busy is important, keeping commitments is important but it is also important to take the time to be quiet, to do nothing, to stop the scheduling, to soak up God’s goodness.

Today is Friday and you know that I sometimes like to offer a poem for your weekend reflection. Well, here is a brief reflection written by Teresa of Avila, Spain. She lived from 1515 to 1582. Seems life was busy even in the 1500’s!

How is it, my God, that you have given me this hectic busy life when I have so little time to enjoy your presence. Throughout the day people are waiting to speak to me, and even at meals I have to continue talking to people about their needs and problems. During sleep itself I am still thinking and dreaming about the multitude of concerns that surround me. I do all this not for my own sake, but for yours. To me my present pattern of life is a torment; I only hope that for you it is truly a sacrifice of love. I know that you are constantly beside me, yet I am usually so busy that I ignore you. If you want me to remain so busy, please force me to think about and love you even in the midst of such hectic activity. If you do not want me so busy, please release me from it, showing how others can take over my responsibilities.

What are you going to do this weekend to find some ‘down time’? Can you find a moment of quiet even in your busyness?

Yesterday was Mothers Day. In the church we also celebrate the day as Christian Family Sunday. It was fun yesterday when at the “Story Time” I explored with the children what makes a family. When I asked, “How many are in your family?” one little boy immediately said, “Four, my mom, my brothers and me.” His older brother then added in, “Well, that is not our whole family – he is only counting us. We have grandparents too.” It was as if I had scripted it! Because, that is exactly what I wanted to talk about.

We are long past the “nuclear family” meaning, mom, dad and two kids. Families nowadays come in all shapes and sizes. In my own family we have various configurations. I married Carl who had been widowed. He brought with him two adult daughters and four granddaughters. My niece, a single woman, has adopted a little boy; another niece is in a same-sex relationship; one niece happily remains single while others have followed the pattern of marriage and children. My brother and sister-in-law have divorced but their grandchildren enjoy happy times with the family together. We are all in family relationships of one sort or another.

I am not sure when the practice of celebrating “Christian Family Sunday” began but I suspect the folks who initiated it had no idea that by 2015 we would be celebrating family knowing that families can look quite different than the traditional idea of family. I am so grateful that we have grown in our understanding of what family means and recognize it for what it really is – a coming together of people for the good of all.

In the bulletin yesterday we included these two quotes …
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” ~Desmond Tutu
and
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one.” ~Jane Howard

To that I say, “Amen”!

Monday evening was one of those times that one remembers forever. There are 6 people walking from Cochrane to Ottawa. They are First Nation’s members who have timed their walk to arrive in Ottawa the last weekend in May when the Truth and Reconciliation Commission draws to a close. There were walking through Bracebridge on Monday and some of us were blessed to have a pot luck dinner with them and five homes were able to billet them overnight. We heard a bit of their story, enjoyed their presence among us, and were left humbled by their dedication and perseverance.

Monday night we sat in the spacious living room of one of the host families. After sharing an abundant meal we were reminded of the scarring impact of the Residential School system. As Patrick, the elder of the group, explained, as a child he was taken from his home and family every August and returned there in June. Now as an adult he feels remorse for the way he raised his own children having had such little experience of family life and parental supervision as a child he did not know how to parent. He spoke with firm voice and talked about honour and respect. It was very moving.

Tuesday morning, just before the walkers set out, they invited us to join them in their smudging ceremony. Each morning, before they begin the day’s walk, they perform this ritual to ground and purify themselves for the day ahead. It is a powerful reminder for them of what they are doing and why. It was a privilege to be part of the circle. The smoking sage, carried in a small iron pan by one of the young men, was offered to each of us so we could scoop the smoke with our hands and direct it over our face and bodies. Then a prayer was offered for their journey.

I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but sometimes one day can shift your whole perspective and understanding. Monday did that for me. I am not sure the walkers will remember us, we are one church overnight in a series of many, but I will remember them, their presence, their determination, their story, and their desire to heal a history that has dragged them down for decades. They are walking for truth and reconciliation. They brought truth to me and I hope that they felt some moments of healing and reconciliation in their short time here.

Supreme Court justice Marie Deschamps has provided an 88-page report on the state of the Canadian Military and its treatment of enlisted women ending with 10 recommendations. It is a damning report. She calls the work environment toxic and names an “underlying sexualized culture” that is “hostile” to women as well as lesbian, gay, transgendered, bi-sexual and queer members. Worse still, she says that the vulgar name-calling, sexual innuendoes, jokes, harassment and sexual assaults are condoned or ignored by the brass. Shame on them, shame on all of them.

We live in a sexualized culture. Between the media and the entertainment industry there is a presentation of girls and women as sexual objects, as playthings, and in some cases as disposable. This on the one hand disgusts me but even more distresses me as I see the girls and teens I know growing up to think less of themselves and their bodies. I know girls who have been teased, harassed and abused. I know women who have lived much of their adulthood ashamed of their body and embarrassed about their sexuality. The church has not always been helpful in this regard. The church bears a deep history of misogyny and ill-treatment of women. For the church to castigate the military is, in some ways, living in a glass house while throwing stones. No matter the institution it is all so wrong.

The report gives an opportunity. It is critical for good people to stand up and say “Enough”. The church must support our young people and encourage them to be grateful for the body they are given and to be strong in not succumbing to the negative messages that surround them. The Canadian Military should answer for its crimes and misdemeanours and I am grateful to Marie Deschamps for bravely naming the situation and making it face up to its sins.

Comments?

This is day 6 after the violent earthquake that shook Nepal. Officials say Saturday’s 7.8-magnitude quake injured at least 11,000 people.The UN says more than eight million people have been affected and about 70,000 houses destroyed. The current death toll is around 5500 and climbing as villages and towns dig out and re-establish communication.

In the midst of the tragedy are small miracles. Yesterday a four month-old baby boy was found alive. He was pulled from the rubble covered in gray dust and dehydrated but otherwise okay. Last evening an 11 year-old girl was rescued. Today a 15 year-old boy was carefully pulled from a fallen building and a 20 year-old woman who had been working as a maid at one of the hostels was found alive. It took rescue teams from five different countries to reach the woman by digging for hours through rubble and then carefully extracting her. The entire rescue operation took about 8 hours. She was awake but in a weakened condition.

The miracles happen alongside the misery. Medics say many who survived the quake are now falling ill because they have been living in the open and drinking contaminated water. A doctor at Kathmandu’s Bir Hospital, said at least 1,200 people with water-borne illnesses have been admitted since Wednesday morning. This disaster will cause havoc for a long, long time not to mention the grief that will be a national trauma.

One of the advantages to our global community and our instantaneous communication is that we can know what is happening half way round the world the minute it is happening. To hear the stories coming out of Nepal is both horrifying and inspiring. Thankfully, the United Church, along with many, many agencies, is sending financial aid which is being matched dollar-for-dollar by the federal government. Our United Church partner, the Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), has expressed appreciation for the rapid response of several governments and aid agencies in rescue and relief operations. General Secretary-Elect Dr. Mathews George Chunakara made a special appeal to the global church: “We urge the ecumenical family to extend every possible support for humanitarian aid assistance in Nepal and other affected areas.” As we watch the news and read the paper, noting the devastation, writing a cheque seems like not much, but it can be the one way we do what we can to assist people struck down by tragedy.

Do what you can.

When I was in university I was briefly involved with a group called Inter-Varsity. I did not last long with them as I found their theological perspective a little too conservative for my liking and their literal reading of the Bible a little too restrictive. However, I did like one thing about the experience. They had a group Friday afternoon group called CATGIF. The acronym stood for “Christians also thank God it is Friday”! I don’t really remember what we did at CATGIF – it might have even been Bible study – not a typical ‘kick-back’ activity for university students (ha ha – I hear you saying now you are not surprised I did not last long with the group!!!); but I do remember the acronym CATGIF and often think of it on a Friday afternoon.

Now, admittedly for ministers, Friday afternoons bring their own share of pressure. Often I hear my self saying, “WHAT – it is Friday already?” Because that means that Sunday is bearing down and Sunday means a whole lot of work for ministers. Nonetheless, there is something about the rhythm of the weekend, even if it means a working weekend, that fosters a change of pace and bringing with it a feeling of relaxation.

Friday ushers in the weekend and the weekend brings with it Sabbath, a change of pace, a time of rest and renewal, a feeling of letting go, of releasing the driven pressure of work and appointments and schedules to let God dwell near, and around, and in. TGIF!

Here is a poem for your Friday reflection, written by Wendell Berry with the reminder that God is at work in the world.

Sabbath
Whatever is forseen in joy
Must be lived out from day to day.
Vision held open in the dark
By our ten thousand days of work.
Harvest will fill the barn; for that
The hand must ache, the face must sweat.

When we work well, a Sabbath mood
Rests on our day, and finds it good.
~ Wendell Berry

There is a well-known scripture verse, “The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof.” that’s the King James Version. The more reader-friendly version from The Message says, “God claims the earth and everything in it.” (Psalm 24:1) Today is EARTH DAY and we are invited to celebrate everything to do with our marvellous planet and to be reminded to take better care of it.

Earth Day started in 1970. The idea for a day to honour the earth was introduced in 1969 at a UNESCO conference in San Francisco. It began as an American event but went global in 1990 and is now celebrated in 192 countries. Environmental groups have sought to make Earth Day into a day of action which changes human behavior and provokes policy changes.

The story of faith, as recorded in The Bible, begins with the creation of the earth. The words “In the beginning…” initiate the unfolding of the universe with the mystical creativity of God. Caring for creation is a calling and a responsibility for people of faith. The United Church creed that begins with the words, “We are not alone, we live in God’s world. We believe in God: who has created and is creating.” This creed was written in 1968. It did not include words that now appear in about the middle of the creed. The words, “To live with respect in creation” were added sometime in the 90’s, I think. They came as we developed a growing awareness of the importance of stewardship and that stewardship was “living with respect” not having “dominion over”.

Caring for creation and stewardship of the earth is a belief held in all the major religions. So on this Earth Day what are you doing to love our planet?

April is Autism Awareness month in Canada, as it is in much of the world. On October 23, 2012 a World Autism Awareness Day bill was passed by members of the House of Commons in Canada. Bill S-206 officially recognizes April 2 as World Autism Day here in Canada and on that day blue flags and banners were raised across the country. I am a bit slow commenting on this but I hold that the whole month is one to raise awareness and regardless of the date we can open our eyes to the global challenge of this disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviours.

On March 27, 2014, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data on the prevalence of autism in the United States. This surveillance study identified 1 in 68 children (1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls) as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Within our congregation I know three boys who have been identified and in my network I know of several other families who live with autism.

A child who is on the spectrum deals with daily challenges as they try to navigate school, socializing, activities and family dynamics. Families that live with this disorder know that there are going to be extra costs as they fund therapy and support for their child. (The Autism Speaks web site says it can cost a family up to $60,000 a year). I know parents who agonize over what will happen to their child as they mature into adulthood. How will they cope? Who will support them when they can’t manage on their own?

Here at the church we make it a priority to be open to children who find the typical church experience to be a challenge because of the way they see and experience the world. Sometimes we fail but we do out best and try to do better all the time. Vacation Bible Camp and Faith Trek are places where the kids learn about acceptance and inclusiveness and we try to live out our teaching by providing a space that welcomes all.

On April 2nd landmarks around the world were coloured blue to signify Autism awareness. Colour me blue as I try to learn more about the challenge this spectrum presents to our youngsters and their families.

Yesterday marked one year since Boko Haram abducted 276 girls from their school in Nigeria. The girls were taken in the night and their whereabouts remain unknown. The girls were aged between 12 and 17 and they were snatched from their dormitories and loaded onto trucks. Some managed to escape but most just disappeared and their families are left to imagine their fate. (Boko Haram means “western education is forbidden”)

In a report marking this tragic anniversary UNICEF says the number of children running for their lives in the country of Nigeria or crossing into the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon has doubled in just under 12 months. Fighting between Boko Haram, military forces and civilian self-defence groups in north-eastern Nigeria has forced 800,000 children from their homes over the past year. 800,000 that is more than the population of Winnipeg. 800,000.

There is much that can be said about the politics of the situation. There is much that can be said about terrorism. But I want to linger with the grief of the parents. As I write I think about the girls I know between the ages of 12 and 17; girls in this congregation, (some are sitting in the next room chatting together about their school day), girls in my family, girls who are daughters and granddaughters of friends. I think about the grief their parents would bear if their daughters were taken in the night. I think about the deep sense of loss and pain that these Nigerian parents are enduring, not only because their daughters are gone, but also because they do not know what has happened to them. They do not know if they are dead or alive, if they have been raped or married off or sold into prostitution or turned into soldiers. It is one thing to have a child die and then stand at their grave. It is another thing to have them disappear. This makes me think of the over 1000 Aboriginal women in our own country who have disappeared and the grief and anguish of their families who don’t even know what happened to them. What is wrong with the human race that it would kill its own kind with such disregard? It is shameful.

Today I am praying for the families of the disappeared who grieve and long for answers. Will you pray for them too? Please?

This is National Volunteer Week in Canada. The NVW (National Volunteer Week) web site says, “The marking of the value of Volunteers started in 1943 to mark the important role that women were contributing to the war effort on the home front. Although NVW was largely forgotten after the war ended, it experienced a revival in the late 1960’s when organizations stressed the importance of thanking volunteers across Canada. NVW was reinstated and has since grown to become the largest celebration of civic participation in Canada.”

The slogan for National Volunteer Week is “Volunteers are part of the ripple effect” drawing on the adage that a stone thrown in a pool has a ripple effect and one small stone can change the whole surface of the pool. It is a good illustration as volunteers efforts do reach far and wide into the community.

I love volunteers and I know that our church is totally dependent on the wonderful work done by many, many people who offer their gifts and services as part of their commitment to this congregation. I just spent a few minutes thinking about last Sunday. Through the course of the morning we had about 36 people offer their volunteer services as contribution to the morning services. From choir members to ushers, from those who prepare the coffee to those who count the offering, everyone pitches in to make the morning experience a positive one for all who gather. It takes a lot of volunteers to keep a vibrant and lively congregation like ours, well, vibrant and lively! I am grateful for everyone of them.

I also know that many of the folks who give of their time here at the church are also out in the community delivering meals on wheels, canvassing for different charities, volunteering at the hospital, visiting those who can’t get out, making casseroles for neighbours and on and on. Each effort, though maybe a small one for that individual has the ripple effect of changing the face of our community.

Jesus talked about small things making a big difference, a mustard seed, an eye of a needle, a little child, small in size but gigantic in terms of effect. Thank you volunteers. As the NVW web site says, “You rock”.