(Ir)Reverend Ramblings

Last Friday night we held our “Annual Speaker’s Night” at our local theatre. This is the third year our congregation has offered this evening to the community. The first year we had Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish; last year we hosted Dr. Smanatha Nutt. After two years of casting an eye to global strife we decided it was time to offer something a little closer to home. We invited Dr. Brian Goldman, host of the radio programme “White Coat Black Art”, author of two books and ER doctor at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto. We asked him to speak on the topic, “The Tough Talk about End-of-Life Care”. He did not disappoint.

It was a year ago when we asked Dr. Goldman to come to Bracebridge and we had no idea at the time that is presentation would be so timely and topical. The convening of the Supreme Court last week to discuss the right to physician-assisted suicide made our topic top of the news.

Dr. Goldman talked about the physician’s discomfort with end-of-life issues and how hard it is to face the topic when someone’s vocation is to make people well. He also told us that advancing science and medical technology mean life can be prolonged as never before. And then he talked about the hard decisions that face family members. This situation he is well aware of as his father died last year and his mother died just three weeks ago. He ended the evening, prompted by a specific question, by reflecting as a man of faith on what death means and the continuation of life into the mystery of God’s love. He spoke of death as a holy moment and one we should celebrate as much as we celebrate a birth. In truth, it was a holy moment when he explained watching a person die and seeing the countenance change as life ebbed away. He said, for him, it was impossible to watch a person die and not believe in God.

Dr. Goldman left us with much to think about, the practical need of talking to family and helping them understand our wishes as to medical intervention at the time of our demise as well as the heightened spiritual experience of death. It was a great Doctor’s visit.

The International Community is slowly waking up to the heavy impact of the plague of Ebola that is growing exponentially in western Africa. The World Health Organization states that there have been over 7000 cases reported with over 3000 of them ending in death proving that roughly half of those infected die. Last night the WHO said they are now seeing 5 new cases an hour – how can the statistics keep up let alone the Health Care Workers, many of whom are now infected? The healthcare systems of the poor African countries where it is spreading simply can’t respond to the growing needs. The severity of this outbreak should not be underestimated.

One reporter said the victims are the ones who live, many of them children left without family. The lingering effects of such a devastating illness are manifold the first of which is the 21 day quarantine during which the patient cannot be touched. Imagine being a child and you have just lost your parents, siblings, grandparents and no one can even hold your hand or give you a hug. As of a few days ago there were already 2000 Ebola orphans in Liberia alone.

For a period of time the western world was responding in a half-hearted way. The concern has increased with the arrival of an infected Liberian man in Dallas, Texas and the increasing rate of infection in American medical workers and, as of today, a western journalist. It is one thing to have a sweeping and devastating illness is a far-away African country; it is another thing when the patient lives down the street.

The United Church of Canada is accepting donations which will go to our partners in ACT Alliance to enable a response in the countries most effected and to promote education so more do not fall victim to the illness. To donate go to the United Church web site where you can donate online. And then, pray. It is the least we can do.

This morning I heard an interesting interview on CBC radio. Made me stop eating my shredded wheat long enough to make a few notes. The man being interviewed is from England and he has started an organization to meet the needs of many. It is called the Sunday Assembly Network. They meet on Sunday morning, they listen to a speaker, they sing together, they have coffee and cookies together after, but don’t be confused this is not a church. The Sunday Assembly Network is not religious. They proudly proclaim that they have no doctrine, they have no deity and they don’t do supernatural. So I guess is like church but without the religion part.

He said that he and his partner decided that people were missing out on the opportunity to gather and to do good so they started this gathering. The first time they met they expected about 30 people and 200 showed up. Their motto is “Live better, help often, love more.” He said they have no dogma, they are godless but they welcome everyone even religious people! As he put it “We have the best bits of church but no religion.”

When I checked out their website it says that 36 new assemblies will start up this coming Sunday in countries as far flung as Belgium to Canada, the US to New Zealand.

It doesn’t surprise me that such a need was felt and that the desire to gather to do good exists everywhere. I guess it saddens me that the church, which was started with goodness in mind has failed in the eyes of so many people. In the Book of Acts it describes the beginning of the church with these words, “Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.” It gives a picture of life in community. That said, I know, having lived my life in the church, that community can be hard work and for all our desire to do good and be good, sorting things out with people can be tough sometimes.

The fast expansion of the Sunday Assembly points to the fact that people long for community. I believe that churches are about building community around shared values as much as they are about doctrine and dogma. I know that in all the congregations I have served it would be difficult to find two people who would agree on the same interpretation of scripture or the tenets of the faith but they do all agree that the gathering of community is critical in the expression of our faith.

Would you go to a Sunday Assembly knowing there would be not talk there about God?

Two senior members of our congregation have died. One in her mid 90s the other 104! The elder of the two has been spry and healthy up until the last few weeks when an infection slowed her down and then took its toll by sapping her energy and strength. The other has languished in a senior’s residence for a few years now, her memory stolen by the ravages of dementia.

The similarity between these two deaths is the care and compassion that has surrounded each woman by her family. In each case a beloved daughter sat with her mother as she took her last breath – such a holy moment. In each case the mother was assured of her family’s love and devotion right to the end. In each case tears were shed and they were tears of gratitude as well as tears of grief, gratitude for a life of love well lived. Who could ask for more than that?

In the book of Ecclesiastes are these beautiful words…
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die …
a time to weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance …
God has made everything beautiful in its time.

While death is always sobering and causes us to stop and take stock, there is something right about the going of these ones who have put so much goodness and kindness into life. Their peaceful passing has been made beautiful by God and we remain a grateful people for having had them bless our lives.

Much of life is an endless round of making the coffee and putting away the chairs. At least that is how it often feels from the minister’s point of view. I have joked that at Theological School we should have a mandatory course on hospitality as that is often what we are called upon to do. And I don’t mind it – I think that providing a welcoming space and a place of comfort and sharing is the church at its best.

It is often in these casual or social times that people open up and reveal the things that matter most. It is also when we sometimes find out how a simple act or word, one that is now long forgotten by the giver, was a valuable and sometimes life-changing moment for the receiver. Every now and then I am told that I once made a comment, gave a hug or extended an opportunity that at the time, and even in retrospect seemed like a small thing but it made a huge impact in the life of another. A small giving of self can make all the difference.

The truth of it is that we never know how a small thing to us can be immeasurable to another.

An elderly woman in a former congregation in Georgetown used to quote this poem to me. The words have taken on more significance over the years.
It was written by R.L.Sharpe in 1809

Isn’t it strange, that princes and kings,
and clowns that caper in sawdust rings,
and common folk like you and me,
are builders for eternity?

I can only pray that I provide more stepping stones than stumbling blocks and that every now and then I am graced by someone telling me I did just that.

I have been fortunate to see the movie “The 100 Foot Journey” not once but twice. I liked it so much the first time I went back. It is a lovely story with good actors taking the leading roles (seriously, how could you not like a movie with Helen Mirren in it?) and the cinematography is beautiful. It is, for the most part, set in competing restaurants and the story line revolves around food. It is hard to come out without being hungry!

There is a sense of destiny in the movie. The father, leaving his homeland due to political reasons, treks across Europe with his family searching for the place where they should stop. He says he will know it is the right place when they get there. He finds their place in France when the brakes in their vehicle fail and they careen off the road. He says to his children, “Brakes break for a reason.” and therefore, he decides that this is where their travelling will end. Later in the movie as the love story unfolds … you knew there had to be a love story … the son repeats this line to his girlfriend, “Brakes break for a reason.”

I have been thinking a lot about that ever since. Not just the movie but the interplay between destiny, coincidence and God. I know people who do not talk about coincidence – they call such moments “god-incidence” meaning God is in the moment that seems so unlikely. Do things happen for a reason? Or do we interpret events so that we can find good or evil in them? I am not sure I have the answer to that. Some days I am firmly convinced that whatever happened was meant to be and brought me to a place of new discovery. Other times I am equally convinced about the randomness of life. As a person of faith I believe that God is part of my life in such an interconnected way that everything I do is infused with God and yet I must admit there are times when I feel abandoned. There are times when things happen and it feels like pure divine intervention and there are other times when it feels very accidental. That said, I have a faith that shapes my life and my activity is governed by a belief that God is part of my every decision. So, if “brakes break for a reason” it is within the breaking that I can draw upon faith in God to see me through.

The first of September always feels a bit like a New Year’s time for me. This year it has come to us early on the calendar with Labour Day falling on September 1st. Also, the excessive cool and overcast summer days did not leave us with a longing for a relief from heat and humidity. Instead, we are left saying, “that was summer?”!! Despite that, with September comes a return to routine and schedules. We once again pick up responsibilities that we could shrug off for the summer season. As children return to school classrooms adults to buckle down to agenda that drifted during the lazy, hazy days of July and August.

Being a visual person I have laid out four calendar sheets to see what lies before me for the last quarter of the year. Yesterday afternoon I actually took apart a wall calendar and taped September, October, November and December on one large sheet of paper – I know, crazy, right? But it helps me get a fix on what is coming up in the next season as we begin the count to Christmas – and that is what we do here in Churchland. September brings planning for the season that moves us to Advent and Christmas.

I have blocked out some time away for Continuing Education – a couple of short courses I want to take. I have marked in my regular activities each month – committee meetings, study groups, etc. and I have pondered where I can work in a few new things I want to offer here at BUC. With the months spread before me I realize there is never enough time to do all I want to do. Looking at the calendar helps me prioritize.

So, as you turn the page to the next chapter of 2014 what will rise to the top for you? Is your life smooth sailing these days or will you need to set aside some time to ‘gather your bearings’? Do you have a balance between work, family and service? Are there days when you will offer your gifts and days when you will receive? Can you see some opportunity to try something new this fall? September is a great time for new beginnings. May God grace you with opportunity for deepening your spiritual life in these next few months.

I have been pondering what to write in this post for a few days now. The headlines are filled with contentious, thought provoking and soul-destroying news. I could write about the news but I am so overwhelmed by the dire nature of some much of what is going on in the world I feel almost paralyzed as to what to write. The torture of Christians in Iraq, the violent devastation of homes in Gaza, the starvation in Sudan- where does one begin? As I reflected and prayed this morning it seemed that the world had become a heavy, dark place. Then I opened my email. I scanned down the list in my Inbox and new immediately which email I had to open first. The subject line was “He’s here”. It was a message from my life-long friend saying a new grandson had been born.

There is nothing to lift the spirits like the word that a baby is born. The long period of waiting through pregnancy is over. The wondering as to gender is determined. The concern over safe delivery has passed. The baby is born. He’s a boy – Henry Gordon, named after his late great- grandfather, a brother for Anna and Sam. Such exciting news. The promise and hope of a new life, the assurance that life goes on, the evidence of family love all wrapped up in eight pounds!

A baby does not take away the horrors that exist in our world but a baby does remind us that life is sweet and delicate and tender and that the generations roll one into the next. A baby bring tears – tears of joy.

There is a man in our congregation who, when asked “How are you?” always replies, “Grateful”. The first few time I heard him say that I was a bit taken aback. Now, I look forward to his response. “I am grateful.”

This morning, as I arrived at work, the woman who runs the children’s program downstairs said, “How are you?” and I said, “On a day like this? I am grateful – how could I not be?” I am grateful – grateful to be alive, grateful to be on my feet, grateful to see this August day, grateful to hear the voice of a loved one, grateful to hold the hand of a child, grateful to read a good book, grateful to spend an evening watching a ball game, grateful to sip ice water, grateful to watch sunlight on water, grateful to hear birds sing and teenagers laugh, grateful to sit at a desk and read an email, grateful to anticipate a visit from family, grateful to remember a time with friends, grateful to by busy, grateful to be bored, grateful to live where I live, grateful for times of peace, grateful for a delicious meal, grateful to have something to believe in, grateful to be able to say, “I don’t know”, grateful for a good night’s sleep, grateful to wake up to sunshine, grateful to sit and talk, grateful to sit and say nothing, grateful for a very interesting world, grateful for efforts for peace, grateful for small miracles, grateful for big miracles.

How am I today? I am grateful! How are you? What are you grateful for?

Events and ceremonies are happening over this weekend to mark the 100th anniversary of when Britain, and therefore Canada, entered into the fray of World War 1. It is often remembered that World War 1 was declared to be the war to end all wars. In reality, the world has had wars erupting in various parts of it ever since. Currently the madness of Russian terrorists in Ukraine and the battles between Hamas and Israel gives evidence that people still want to resort to violence and killing as a way to end disputes or to grab land.

I am tired of the rhetoric. Rhetoric from the leaders of those various factions and rhetoric from our own Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister, who seem to have no regard for the hundreds of lives lost in Gaza. They speak defending only Israel’s right to retaliate. Newscasts report that over 1300 Palestinians have been killed (many of those are citizens including children) compared to over 50 Israelis. The Israeli army bombed a UN sanctioned protected area in a school filled with Palestinians and our government continues to defend Israel. I agree Hamas are terrorists and that what they are doing is wrong but I wonder where the Israelis (and our government) think the Palestinian citizens are to go to be safe. They are exhibiting a total disregard for human life. I am heart-sick when I see the pictures of the adults weeping and the children cowering in fear.

When I last visited Israel we went to “The Garden Tomb”. It is a lovely garden with areas where groups can gather for prayer. We had a communion service there. As we left I noticed a sign on a rock leaning against a post. It said, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” This comes from Psalm 122 verse 6 and the rest of the verse reads “May those you love be secure.” The Psalmist could have written those words for this very week and could apply it to the whole of that Holy Land.