Interactive Worship for Ocean Sunday

This fall in worship planning and leadership, I have been focussing on encouraging interaction between people, creating visual components that speak to the theme.

The community of faith that I serve is blessed with a relationship with a nearby correctional centre that has a work crew looking for things to do. For Ocean Sunday, the work crew was able to climb ladders and suspend fabric and streamers from the ceilings.

 

 

As each person arrived, they were given a paper flower. Thanks to the work crew for all their cutting! These are made by squaring a piece of coloured letter paper and cutting it into quarters. These smaller squares are folded into quarters. The unfolded edges are trimmed as shown.

 

When you open the paper it looks like this.

 

Then you fold up the petals to create a square bottom and the flowers float.

 

When Sunday morning arrived a pristine wading pool of water awaited us. The service began with children adding plastic bags and straws to the water.

 

 

We read the story of the fishers who fished all night and caught nothing. Jesus came along and told them to put out their nets on the other side and the nets were filled to overflowing. Luke 5:1-11

We read A Garden of Whales maggie s. davis and Illustrations by Jennifer O’Connell. In this story, the whales disappear, are nurtured by children and able to repopulate the oceans.

I used wondering questions to invite the whole congregation to think about these stories.

• I wonder what kind of danger came to the whales?
• I wonder how you plant whale tears?
• I wonder how they made the ocean safe again for the whales?
• I wonder how the whales survived after they grew in the garden?

Reflection:

This passage of scripture holds the tension between the scarcity and abundance of the earth and waters. In Jesus’ time people relied heavily on the fishing for their livelihoods and for their food. They were deeply connected to sea and the life within it. We are much less connected. Our water comes out of a tap and as long as the water continues to flow, we might not notice that there is a problem with the water. I suspect that the folks in Zambia that we heard about in the Minute for Mission are very aware of water, how much they use and the ways in which water can be contaminated. In a similar way, many First Nation reserves recognize the challenges of clean, abundant water.

The destruction of our water sources doesn’t just impact on humans. It destroys other forms of life—like the whales and other sea creatures. The earth needs all its creatures in order to be healthy and thrive.

While we are disconnected from our water sources, we are complicit in the waste and contamination of water. I invite you to take a moment in silence to reflect on our relationship with water.

I invited people to write a prayer for the water and oceans on the flower. When then came up for communion they placed the flowers in the wading pool with the garbage to transform the future of creation. I forgot to take a picture after worship as I was rescuing the flowers so they could be dried and placed on the walls around the sanctuary.

 

Sister Rivalry

Last week, Jacob arrived at Laban’s and met Rachel. In between these two passages, Jacob arranged to marry Rachel. As part of the agreement he worked for Laban for seven years. Laban tricked him and he ended up married to Leah instead. He worked for another seven years and was finally able to marry Rachel. This is where today’s passage picks up in Genesis 29:29-30:23

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Leah eventually had seven children. The passage attributes Leah’s fertility to her being the unloved and unwanted wife. Rachel, on the other hand, is described as beautiful and loved and has trouble conceiving.  Each sister offers their maid to Jacob so that they might have children attributed to them. And then Leah buys Jacob’s attention with mandrakes. The passage sets up a rivalry between the sisters and the children’s names reflect the flow of the conflict between the sisters. 

Leah’s oldest is named Reuben “Because the Lord has looked on my affliction; surely now my husband will love me.” I can hear Leah hoping that she will be loved and wanted. But having a son didn’t give her the love she wanted from Jacob, so she names her next son Simeon “Because the Lord has heard that I am hated, he has given me this son also.” She recognizes that she is unloved by Jacob and her sons become a bit of a consolation prize. And she tries again, still hoping that Jacob the bond between her and Jacob will be strengthened and names her next son Levi “Now this time my husband will be joined to me,  because I have borne him three sons.” Something shifts for Leah as she names her next son Judah… “This time I will praise the Lord.” Maybe she chooses praise rather than self-pity. Maybe she feels like she has won the sister rivalry. She has four sons while Rachel still has none. Perhaps this is a bit of a gloat on her part.

But Rachel hasn’t given up. Rachel gives her maid, Bilhah, to Jacob and claimed Bilhah’s son as her own. This son is named Dan because “God has judged me, and has also heard my voice and given me a son.” She feels like maybe the stakes are evening out. Bilhah has another son, claimed by Rachel and named Naphtali because “With mighty wrestlings I have wrestled with my sister, and have prevailed.” Perhaps Rachel feels like she is gaining some power in the relationship and things are finally starting to turn in her favour.

If Rachel can do it, so can Leah! Leah gives her maid, Zilpah, to Jacob and names the child Gad, which means “Good fortune!” There’s a second son for Zilpah named Asher: “Happy am I! For the women will call me happy.” It is interesting that Leah’s happiness is dependent on other women’s perception of her. And she still isn’t satisfied. Rachel allows Leah to be with Jacob in exchange for mandrakes. Leah might have Jacob’s attention but Rachel has the fertility mandrakes. Even without the mandrakes, Leah has another son who she names Issachar because “God has given me my hire [wages] because I gave my maid to my husband.”

Leah’s final son is Zebulun. “God has endowed me with a good dowry; now my husband will honour me, because I have borne him six sons.” It appears Zilpah is part of the dowry and now there are six sons. Surely it is enough and Leah will be loved.  There is one daughter to come—Dinah. Her name is not described. But she will feature prominently in upcoming stories.

Finally, Rachel has a child of her own whom she names Joseph. But she isn’t willing to stop at one and lives in hope of more children to come: “May the Lord add to me another son!” Eventually, Joseph is joined by Benjamin.

I can hear the taunting and the hurt between these two sisters. They have a strong need to outdo each other for children. Their sons get caught up in the drama between the sisters which sets the stage for Joseph’s slavery in Egypt. This conflict is not just theirs but becomes multigenerational. How often does conflict get passed between generations? How often do parents need their children to prove their own worth and value or find meaning in their own lives?

Season of Creation Communion Liturgy

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I wrote this communion liturgy for Season of Creation. There are places for people to shout out various parts of creation that they celebrate and pray for. It uses the Kingsfold Communion Set for sung responses. This may be found in More Voices (United Church of Canada) # 203-205.

 

 

 

 

 

 

One: We come to Christ’s table where all are welcome. We come with our human imperfections and mistakes. We come with our grief and our joy. From oldest to youngest we are all welcome at this table.

One:      Holy one, Creator of earth and sky and sea, you filled your creation with abundance. You filled the sea with many creatures. We give thanks for…

All:          (shout out creatures that live in water)

One:      You filled the sky with creatures that fly. We give thanks for…

All:          (shout out creatures of the air)

One:      You spread your abundance over the earth. We give thanks for…

All:          (shout out creatures that live on land)

One:      And beyond the earth you created a whole universe of wonders…stars, planets, moons, asteroids. You created wonders on earth and beyond that we have yet to see or fathom.

All:          We celebrate creatures and waterfalls, the flowers of summer, the harvest of gardens and fields. We give thanks for all the ways we see and experience you in creation. You are creator and life-giver who fills us with breath.

One:      You place your breath in us just as you placed it in Jesus of Nazareth. As we remember his life, death and resurrection, we experience your love. Through time and space, you are a constant presence and so we sing:

Sing:     Holy, Holy, Holy (More Voices # 203)

One:      We remember Jesu’s life as he ministered with the broken and hurting of the world. We remember Jesus as he witnessed suffering, experienced grief and loss, felt physical pain. As we gather in this place, we remember our own experiences of suffering, grief and loss. We witness the pain of the creation destroyed by human brokenness. We remember in silence or outloud…

All:          (shout out situations of pain and suffering)

One:      With the weight of the world on his shoulders, Jesus gathered for one last meal with family and friends. They gathered around the table as Jesus broke bread and shared wine. Hours later, it was all over and Jesus was dead. But the pain, suffering, grief and loss will not have the word in the story of life.

Sing:      Memorial Acclamation (More Voices # 204)

One:      The breath of God’s spirit moves within us, within the gifts of bread, and wine and water, binding and mending the brokenness of the world, uniting us with all creation.

Sharing the Feast

Sing:      Great Amen (More Voices # 205)

Wishy-Washy Promises

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Jacob sets off on his journey. In the previous verses, Jacob sleeps with his head on a stone and dreams of God appearing to him as a staircase rises from the earth to heaven. On this staircase, heavenly beings, angels are going up and down. God stood beside Jacob and promised he would return to his home once he had heirs.

It is a place where Jacob experiences God. The story picks up as Jacob wakes. Jacob recognizes the sacredness of the experience and the sacredness of the place. Once he has a moment to gather his senses, and experience fear, Jacob responds to God’s promise. If God provides food and shelter, if God proves dependable in everything, then this will be his God. It is a conditional commitment on Jacob’s part. Jacob’s commitment is dependent on God proving reliable. This something only proven in hindsight. He has no way of knowing for certain whether God will prove reliable. As he looks back at his life, he might be able to see moments where God was present. Viewed another way, those same moments might be luck or the result of hard work. Jacob requires God to provide for his every need. Does having his needs met prove that God exists and God is faithful? Many people who lack enough food and clean water, have faith in God. Many people who are well-fed deny the existence of God.

I think Jacob, has missed the point. God’s promise to him is unconditional. His response should also be unconditional. Jacob has left himself wiggle room to avoid keeping his commitment to God. How often do we bargain with God? “I’ll do such and such if she doesn’t die.” Statements like this become difficult when the person we love dies anyway. It threatens our relationship with God because we believe that God has not been faithful. We believe that God has let us down.

“If I get through this, I will change my life.” God is always calling us to be the people we were created to be. A conditional statement like this means that if we can be trapped, waiting for God to act to so that we are motivated towards change. In reality, change might be the way God can act to resolve the challenge. Eventually, we might come to believe that God has let us down and we end up wallowing in self-pity.

As the Jacob story unfolds, we see him continuing to use trickery and manipulation to get what he wants. For the time being, he’s holding and wait and see what God does before he decides whether this is his God.

After making his wishy-washy commitment, Jacob continues his journey. He finds a well which Laban (his uncle) happens to use. The shepherds are waiting until everyone has arrived. There is a large stone over the well which requires everyone’s assistance in moving. Rachel arrives, Jacob is smitten and uses his mighty-man strength to move the stone all by himself.

 

Appropriate Marriages

It feels like a long time since I have written a post about the saga of Isaac, Rebekah and their twins Jacob and Esau. Jacob was the younger but bought the birthright from Esau and tricked his father into giving him the blessing. Now the story turns to marriage and choosing the right wife for each of the sons.

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In North America, marriage is often a personal choice and the decision made by the couple. In this passage from Genesis 28:1-9 we see a strong emphasis placed on wives chosen from within the family and approved by Isaac and Rebekah.

In Genesis 27, Jacob stole Easu’s blessing. In Genesis 28:1-9, Rebekah convinces Isaac to send Jacob away for two reasons: so he escapes Esau’s wrath, and so he can find a wife from his mother’s family.

According to Walter Brueggemann[i] Genesis 27:46-28:9 have been inserted from the priestly tradition. Leaving those verses out indicates that Jacob runs because of Esau’s wrath. But the writers wanted to put a different spin on this story. These verses were added as a way of teaching about the need for purity in a time when the mixing of cultures endangered the Abrahamic faith. To set the stage for Jacob’s journey, we are told again that Esau already has local wives of whom Rebekah and Isaac disapprove. In this version of the story, Jacob is sent away, with another blessing from Isaac, in order to find a wife from his mother’s family. The promise made to Abraham is repeated so the need to marry within the family becomes tied to faithfulness to God.

Esau no longer has the birthright. He will no longer receive a blessing. Does it matter who he marries? Jacob has left with the birthright and blessing. He left with the approval of his parents to find an appropriate wife. I wonder how Esau feels being left behind with his parents and knowing he will inherit nothing. There is nothing there for him. He knows his parents don’t approve of his local wives. This passage notes that Esau goes to find a wife from his father’s family—perhaps in an effort to gain their approval and feel like at least one thing was right in his life. There is very little more said about Esau’s relationship with Isaac and Rebekah so we don’t know if this worked to his advantage. For Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Esau, marrying within the family was of great importance to reinforce the family identity and create a cohesive belief in God. 

This story reminded me that there are many places where to marry outside of a faith or cultural group can cause great distress for family and community. The practice of marrying within one’s own group and the influence of family in the choice of partner continues to endure. There are families where bringing home someone with different skin colour would be a catastrophe. In some families, marrying someone of a different religion causes distress or maybe the difference is economic status. 

As with Isaac and Rebekah’s family, there may be historic reasons for these practices. We need to see beyond these divisions and recognize that of God within others regardless of skin colour, faith or any other grouping. Instead of seeing others as outsiders, we might ask what we can learn from other? What gifts can we offer each other?  We need to celebrate these differences and the beautiful families they create.

[i] Brueggemann, Walter. Genesis. Interpretation, a Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Atlanta, GA: John Knox Press, 1982.)

Intergenerational Church

 

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The summer has whizzed by and here it is the beginning of September. I had intended to at least keep up with blogging on twirlingjen and maybe even write some extra posts but it was not to be. Over the summer I found myself settling into the sabbatical time and while I was learning lots I also needed lots of rest and chose to honour that rather than blogging.

My focus for sabbatical time was intergenerationality. I began my time by attending InterGenerate. I highly recommend this conference and am already planning to attend the next one in 2021.

The basis of intergenerationality for churches is that communities of faith are one of the few places left in our society where multiple generations (potentially) co-exist and that the generations need each other. In many communities of faith, the generations exist side-by-side with little interaction. Intergenerationality creates spaces where people connect across generations in all aspects of the church’s ministry.

It isn’t just about creating space for children. The relationships formed through this work benefit all ages. There is considerable research that shows that seniors who have relationships with children live healthier and longer. They tend to remain independent longer and have better mental health. Having relationships with children might provide a sense of purpose and lessen feelings of isolation. Children that have meaningful relationships with adults do better at school, learn better, have better social skills along with better mental health.

I am so excited to bring this perspective and work to the folks at St. Andrew’s in Yorkton. I’ll be adding some posts about various things we try out. If you happen to be in Yorkton, SK, come check it out.