What’s the Spirit doing in Communities of Faith Now?

Again this week, the reflection is offered jointly by myself and Rev. Marg Janick-Grayston of St. Andrew’s in Canora. You can watch our Pentecost service on Youtube.

What would Pentecost be without the Pentecost story? This reflection is based on Acts 2:1-21 and 1 Corinthians 12:3b-13.

We begin with Marg’s reflection.

Well, the day of Pentecost has come, but we aren’t all gathered together in one place as the people were in the scripture reading, when they suddenly experienced a rush of wind and fire-like tongues resting on them that filled them with the Spirit causing them to speak in languages that they didn’t even know…languages that helped others understand what they were saying about God’s deeds of power!

To me, this story seems like it comes right out of some far-fetched fantasy movie.  It seems unrealistic because I know even though my grandfather could speak and understand 7 different languages; I can only speak and understand one. English…that’s it.  So, imagine if I were to be speaking to a group of people who could only understand Ukrainian or German, and when I spoke they understood what I was saying about God’s powerful deeds!  How would that even be possible, when I can only speak English and yet they hear me in their own languages?

No wonder the people from every nation who had gathered together were bewildered, astonished, amazed, perplexed, confused, and left to wonder what it even meant!  No wonder some sneered and said that the people must be drunk with new wine.  But Paul was adamant that they were not drunk, for it was only 9 am, and he went on to remind them of what the prophet Joel had said would happen and did just happen:

“That in the last days, God would pour out the Spirit upon all people, and sons and daughters would prophesy, and young men would see visions and old men would dream dreams.”

Well, it seems to me that, we too, are living in a time when we feel bewildered, confused, perplexed–a time when we are wondering what our present situation means.  A time when we too have visions and dreams for our future.

And perhaps right now, most of us are dreaming of a day when things will just return to normal.  Perhaps we have a dream that we will be able to reopen our churches really soon and gather face to face again and that we will be able to be greeted at the door as we enter the church, and sing joyfully and pray communally to God together in the same space.

We dream that we will be able to see and hear the voice of our worship leaders as we sit in the pews, and we will be able to come up and take communion, and we will be able to give hugs and visit over coffee.

Maybe we are dreaming of a time when we can visit our families and friends without concern for social distancing.  Maybe we are dreaming of a time when we can fly to some warm place for the winter.  Perhaps we are dreaming of a time, sooner than later, when life will return to normal.

I know it is a dream that I had this week until I came across a document the other day entitled 48 questions to consider before reopening your church.  I have to say it was a bit of dream squelcher.  So many questions ranging from:

• When will people feel safe enough to come back?
• How will we help them to feel safe?
• Do we hand out masks and hand sanitizer as people arrive for worship?
• Do we remove or block off pews to ensure proper distancing?
• Should we remove hymn books from the pews and stop singing due to droplets in the air that would be dispersed at a higher rate?
• Do we stagger worship times and decrease the length of services, so more than 15 people can worship on a Sunday? And if so, how do we manage proper cleaning protocol between services?
• Do we refrain from passing an offering plate?
• Do we refrain from celebrating communion?
• How are we prepared to support people who are experiencing a rise in mental health or addiction challenges?
• Is it wise to reopen up now just because we are allowed to?
• Is the timing right or is it better to wait longer to ensure it is in the best interest of all?
• Are there things we have learned that we want to implement when we do reopen?

The list went on and on and it made me realize that this is without a doubt a new era, and even though the Saskatchewan government just announced that our churches can open as of June 8 with 15 people indoors and 30 outdoors, things will not return to normal…instead, there will be a new normal with very careful discernment and continued distancing and many, many new protocols.  And why should that surprise us?  The world is always changing…that’s a given.  But how we move through those changes is what is most important.

This brings me back to the Pentecost reading. It was a historical and mythical based story about a new way of living as people moved through a major time of change.  It was Pentecost which in Greek means 50.  It was 50 days after Passover, and it marked the end of the Easter Season, and a new beginning, when the Christian church was birthed into being after Jesus’ death and resurrection.

This passage offered the extremely important message that people filled by the Spirit were to move through the challenging changes they faced with unity, understanding and acceptance of all people.

The reading from 1 Corinthians continues to draw upon this Pentecost message, and further guides us in a specific direction and vision in life when it states in vs. 7: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”  You see, in this new era, there was to be no more us versus them mentality…no more sneering and judging and looking down at people who saw things differently from them…there was to be no more selfishness and self-centeredness.

The Pentecost dream was that people filled by the spirit would live with gratitude and sing praises to God, work together in unity, listen for understanding, and take actions that were for the good of all.

This brings to mind a larger dream than having things simply return to normal.  It calls to my mind a dream that inspired many when Martin Luther King Jr said in 1963: “Even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream….”    He dreamed of a nation rising up and living out the true meaning of its creed that all people are created equal.  He dreamed of people seeing and treating each other as brothers and sisters regardless of their race, culture, or language. He dreamed of unity, of understanding and of love across all the boundaries that we create. He dreamed a Pentecost dream.

So what are our Pentecost dreams?   What are the visions we have for the common good as Spirit-filled people?  What are the dreams we have as we discern and plan for the reopening of our churches?

Picking up where Marg left off, I invite us to continue dreaming. Many of us are dreaming of returning to normal. Whatever lies ahead for us as a community of faith will be different from what was before.

We’ve been through a Pentecost moment where everything has been shaken up and turned upside down. It is like a strong wind has gone through and blown away all the things we think of as church that might not be serving us any longer.

Our buildings are lovely, but we have discovered that we can worship without being in the buildings. One of the things about buildings is that they give us a space to gather. It is different but we have discovered that we can gather without out being in the space. We’ve learned that we can go to church in our pyjamas or on our patio with a cup of coffee.

Many of us have learned that we can use technology or use it in new and different ways. Technology has allowed people who are at a distance or who have health and mobility challenges to connect more regularly. This is a great gift to those of us who have access to the technology, but it has also highlighted that there are people who are even more isolated than ever. We have learned that we must also make other options for worship available, such as printed copies of the services, or access to the worship service via phone.

We’ve learned that we can give offerings without passing an offering plate on Sunday morning and without having multiple fundraisers. We’ve had an opportunity to reflect on what is within us to give the world in a much broader sense than just financial.

We’ve learned that we can share communion that isn’t bread and grape juice. What is sacred is not the actual bread and juice but the way in which the food and drink nourish us and the way it connects us to each other and our shared history as people of faith.

We’ve learned that service is the work of the whole community. Many of us are finding ways to serve our community beyond the doors of the building. Many of us are connecting to other groups in the community that are making sure people are fed and that people have access to mental health resources.

I think this time of reopening is an opportunity for us to really consider what we want going forward. It is important for us to think carefully about what it means to be church what’s really important.

One of the things that always strikes me about the Pentecost story is the expansiveness. A closed and hidden community is suddenly cracked wide open with all these languages and people from all over the region.

What would it mean for our communities of faith to have that expansiveness? How do things that we have always done prevent others from being able to participate freely and comfortably in our communities? The fact that we have primarily connected by gathering in our church building on Sunday morning prevents some people from participating—maybe because they work on Sunday morning or because they can’t physically get to church. It also means our community is limited to those who live in this geographic area.

The fact that we always pass an offering plate or are constantly doing fundraisers means that you might feel like you can’t be a full member if you can’t contribute financially. You might also feel like you are only wanted for your money.

These are things that we have taken for granted. They are so normal and expected to us that sometimes we don’t even see the barriers they might create for others.

What would it look like for our communities of faith to be fully inclusive? How can we ensure that our community is open to those who have technology and can connect from a distance, those who want to gather physically and those who can’t connect and can’t gather physically? How can we ensure that our community of faith feels welcoming to those who have large amounts of money and those who really struggle financially? How can our communities of faith be welcoming to our seniors and elders and welcoming to children and youth? How can our communities of faith be welcoming to people of a variety of sexual orientations and gender identities? How can our communities of faith be welcoming to people from all over the world and celebrate the diversity of race and language that exits around us? How do our communities of faith serve the people around us who will never walk through the doors of our buildings?

Pentecost was a moment where everything was turned upside down. It shook everyone up and it took them a while to find their footing in what the church looked like when they left their locked room. In the Pentecost story, Peter quotes from the prophet Joel in the Hebrew scriptures. He is reminding the people who have gathered that God’s people have always dreamed dreams of a different world that is filled with the Holy Spirit.

I dream that this time of reopening will be a time when we can re-imagine what it means to be church and what it means to be a welcoming community. I dream and anticipate that the Holy Spirit will continue to move within our communities—touching, awakening and drawing us into a new reality.

 

Reflecting on Purpose

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com This week, I was able to collaborate with Rev. Marg Janick-Grayston of St. Andrew’s United Church in Canora, SK. We shared the online service. I’m posting the joint reflection here for you to read. You will be able to watch the video of worship by going to the St. Andrew’s -Yorkton YouTube channel. I wrote the first part of the reflection. We are reflecting on John 17:1-11. This passage is actually a prayer. Jesus and his disciples have shared a meal. They’ve had a long conversation about all sorts of things and now Jesus is praying. He is preparing to place the people that he has grown to love and care about into God’s hands. It is no longer Jesus’ responsibility to care for them. They will need to look after each other but Jesus has a sense that their work and ministry is not done. Jesus also knows that even when he is not there, God will continue to be at work in them.   As Marg and I were discussing the reading from John, one of the phrases that jumped out at us was that eternal life is to know God. Jesus wants his followers to know God. What does it mean to “know God?”   I believe that knowing God has to do with being open to God at work in us and understanding that our purpose in life comes from God. My friend Terrie and I recently led worship at the online United Church Diaconal Ministry gathering. She came across a Tedx talk–How to Know Your Life Purpose in Five Minutes which we incorporated into our worship time. In his Tedx Talk, Adam Leipzig offers five questions to help discern life purpose. The questions are: Who are you? What do you? Who do you do it for? What do you have that they need or want? How are they transformed as a result of what you do?   He points out that only the first two questions about yourself. The other three are about others.   If I were to answer these questions, I might say something like:   Who am I? Jen What do I do? I create space to welcome people. Who I do it for? Anyone looking for a sense of belonging. What do I have that they need or want? A community that seeks to be welcoming and inclusive. How are they transformed as a result of the work you do? People who might not always feel like they fit or belong have a sense of belonging, community and connection. They feel valued for who they are.   My purpose in life is to welcome people. It comes from my own experiences of not always feeling welcomed or feeling like I belong. When I walk into a room full of people, one of the first things I notice is the people who are sitting alone or looking uncomfortable. I try to always start from a place of deep respect for the other person. It is a gift to have a vocation where I can pay attention to those who are alone or most vulnerable in our community.   St. Andrew’s in Yorkton recently updated our Values, Vision and Mission. Two of our values are inclusiveness and compassion which really speak to me of the work of welcoming and making space for people to belong. When people feel like they belong they can be transformed.   One of the other things which stood out for me in this passage was the sense of being entrusted with other people. Jesus talks about the people with whom God has entrusted him. Through my call to this community of faith, I feel a sense that those with whom I minister have been entrusted to me. I want to lift up healthy relationships, good boundaries, a sense of respect and compassion for each person that I encounter in this ministry. This part of the reflection was written by Marg. Another line in the passage from John that really grabbed my attention was verse 4 when Jesus said: “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. “  This has really got me thinking about what that means to me in light of retiring from ministry at the end of this month.  When next Sunday rolls around, is my work done?  Have I completed what God has called me to do?  Can I now, just focus on myself?  Well, I believe that the answer is a resounding” NO.”   Last week I took part in an online exploration entitled “I’m Here for This”.  It was about connecting with our purpose and identifying what passions we have, and matching them up with what others need so that we can serve them.  One of the things our leader, Cathy Keller, said was:  “We are here to serve until we aren’t here.”  She made it very clear that each person has a responsibility to serve no matter what age we are, what gender we are, where we live, what race or culture we are from, or what our challenges in life are.   We are here to serve God. PERIOD.   Cathy said that there was a 1 in 400 trillion chance of each person’s DNA coming together, and we need to stand fully in the world as our unique selves, put on this earth by God to serve.  Because somebody needs us.  Somebody needs the gifts that we have been blessed with to share.  And we need to share those gifts to glorify God, and inspire others to do the same.   Yes, I’ve been thinking a lot about verse 4 when Jesus said: “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. “  And I have come to the conclusion that throughout our entire life, our unique gifts are offered in many different forms, and that there are pivotal points in life when we let go of offering them in one form, only to offer them in another form.    Pivotal points can come anytime in life.  They can come when we change careers…I can attest to that since I have had 3 different careers over the span of 42 years …but each of them involved my gift of accompanying people interested in greater spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.   Pivotal points can also come when we shift roles in life.  For example, someone who loved their job as a teacher of young children, might shift their love of being an educator to nurturing and caring for their own children as a stay at home parent when the time comes, and offer to volunteer reading to children at the local library storytime, instead continuing to work for a school division.   And retirement is another one of those pivotal points in life which many of you have already experienced and found ways to continue to serve God by offering your gifts in new ways.   Perhaps you were a person who worked as a nurse who exuded care and compassion to help people heal, and after retiring you still exude that same care and compassion whenever you encounter another person.  Perhaps you were a farmer who took care of the land with pride, and since leaving the farm you spend time mowing your neighbour’s lawns or clearing snow off their driveways.  Perhaps you were a banker or accountant who loved to work with numbers, and after retiring you keep books or do audits for organizations that need your expertise.  Maybe you were a person who loved to prepare and nourish people with good home-cooked meals, and after your family left home, you still continue to cook extra food and offer it to people who need nourishment.   I have also seen people be in service to the world, even when they have been faced with extreme challenges.  I recall a moment in time about 12 years ago when I was sitting on the steps of a United Church in Vancouver that had been converted to a shelter for people in need.  My daughter was working there, and I was waiting on the steps for her to finish work.  There were many other people hanging out on the steps as well, and  I was feeling quite uncomfortable in this unfamiliar setting and simply keeping to myself….minding my own business so to speak… when a young guy with a big smile came over and introduced himself as Gabrielle.  Gabrielle sat down beside me and we chatted.  It was a hot day out, and he offered me a bottle of water which I was so grateful for.  I learned later, that this young man wrestled with addictions, and lived on the streets.  But even with these huge challenges in life, I believe that his true being shone through that day…his innate gift for noticing, welcoming and extending compassion was freely offered to me on that hot day as he visited and treated me to a bottle of water, without asking for anything in return.  It was one of those memorable moments of service that glorified God that I have not forgotten.   Yes, I’ve been thinking a lot about verse 4 when Jesus said: “I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. “ And I have come to believe that it is true…we are here to serve and glorify God until we aren’t here anymore.   The course that I took last week exploring God’s purpose for us ended with a two-minute meditation reflecting upon serving God which I would like to offer you as we close this reflection.   Take a moment to close your eyes and focus on your breath.  As you settle into the most comfortable rhythm for breathing, picture yourself waking up and looking at yourself in the mirror 5 years from now.  See yourself as a person who has had the courage to be your true God-given self…a person who has not held back in reaching out to share your unique gifts with others.  From this perspective, how has your life been? What experiences have you had?  How does it feel to know you served God by honouring the unique self you were created to be?   Look in the mirror at your courageous, purposeful life, again 10 years from now… How does it feel to have known God, and thereby known your true self? How does it feel to serve others in ways that feel so you?   Now imagine standing in your living room and looking outside your window and seeing one by one, the people you have served over the years….see them standing with their hand on their heart, looking at you with gratitude. .. And picture the people they served as a result of you reaching out with your own true purpose and unique gifts… Imagine feeling a sense of gratitude for the Spirit’s presence in supporting you to live out your purpose, and glorify God.  Now return your focus again to your breath, and after a couple of inhales and exhales, slowly open your eyes.   You know, we are put here on earth for those people we saw outside our living room windows in the mediation. Those are the people God has entrusted us to serve right down to our very last breath on this earth.     For as the hymn that we are about to sing sums it all up with these words: I have called you by your name, you are mine.I have gifted you and ask you now to shine.I will not abandon you; all my promises are true. You are gifted, called and chosen; you are mine.   May we all move forward, moment by moment and shine our gifts into the world through service to glorify God. Amen

Where Does God’s Creation Need Mending?

Photo by Akil Mazumder on Pexels.com In Acts 17:22-28, we read the story of Paul reaching out to his Greek neighbours. He identifies that they are a religious people. He notices the alters and statues around the city of Athens. Then he notices an altar dedicated to an unknown God. Paul picks up on this unknown God, recognizing that God is beyond explanation. Seeking God invites us into questioning. It is this seeking and questioning that helps us to create meaning in our lives. When I was doing my training for ministry there were three questions that guided much of our learning. Who is God? Who are we? What is our purpose? I find these questions a helpful framework for reflecting on God and our relationship with God. Who is God? Who are we? What is our purpose? There are no definitive answers to these questions, but we are always being challenged to seek answers. This week I participated in an online gathering of Diaconal ministers from across the United Church of Canada(DUCC). Our guest was Gail Allen who works for the General Council of the United Church as the Program Coordinator for our Ecumenical and Interfaith relationships. One of the documents she referenced was Mending the World: An Ecumenical Vision for Healing and Reconciliation. It was written in 1997 but continues to guide our work and mission as the United Church of Canada. Ecumenical simply means Christian churches but this document is looking at a much bigger picture. It includes “a commitment to “whole world ecumenism,” naming the search for justice for God’s creatures and healing for God’s creation as the church’s first priority, and joining with other persons of goodwill in the search for justice, wholeness and love.” The document begins with a quote from Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel to set the stage for justice and healing for God’s creatures and creation. He writes this: “When God, the Holy One, gets up in the morning, God gathers the angels of heaven around and asks this simple question: “Where does my creation need mending today?” …  “Theology consists of worrying about what God worries about when God gets up in the morning.” (Mending the World UCC) I think this quote speaks to all three of the questions from my training. If I were responding to these three questions in light of Rabbi Heschel’s words I might respond in this way. Who is God? God the creator is concerned about mending a broken creation.  Who are we? We are God’s people and a part of God’s broken creation in need of mending. What is our purpose? We are called to be in partnership with God, worrying about the things God worries about and seeking to mend the world. I like the idea of asking the question each day: Where does God’s creation need mending today? One of the things Paul was clear about was that he wasn’t replacing all the gods the Athenians already worshiped. He was adding to and clarifying the purpose of their worship. The purpose was to search for God and serve God. That search would take them in many different directions. He wasn’t just inviting other Christians into this search for meaning. He was inviting all the people of Athens regardless of their religious affiliation.  The Mending the World document invites us into the search for justice, wholeness and love with other United Church people, other Christians, people of other faiths and all people of goodwill. I love the final few verses of the scripture reading: This is the God in whom we live and move and have our being; ‘Our lives are lived in God, ……..everything we do and everything we are; …………….for we are the fruit of God’s womb.’ God is our being. God is the meaning of life. God creates wholeness and invites us and others into that wholeness. When God worries, we should worry. When God cries, we should cry. We are not separate from God or from each other. We are one with a creation in need of mending. I invite you to ask yourself this question each day? Where does God’s creation need mending today? Once you’ve asked the question, seek other people of goodwill who will help you to mend your little corner of the world.

Living Stones

Photo by ShonEjai on Pexels.com

This reflection is from May 10.  I invited people to have either a stone and markers to write on the stone or paper. Included with the weekly print newsletter was a picture of stones and the e-newsletter had a link to a picture that could be printed. At various points during the reflection, I invited people to write on their stone or paper and/or offer words and phrases in the Zoom chat box to be shared in online community.

I love the image in 1 Peter 2:2-10  of the living stones. We often think of rocks as inanimate. We imagine them as solid, unchanging. When everything around us is changing, rocks remain constant. Psalm 31 reminds us that God is like a rock or a mountain – giving strength, providing protection. How many millions of years did it take mountains to form? We don’t usually see rocks changing so we forget that stones wear down, they grow into mountains. They can be broken by violence and trauma.

As disciples of Jesus, we are called to be living stones. Sometimes we can’t see the process of change happening in ourselves or others. We only see the constancy of who we believe someone to be. And yet over time, God works on us like the rocks and mountains, wearing down the rough edges and building up strength. Sometimes we are broken by the trauma that happens in our lives.

These forces that build-up, wear down and sometimes traumatize us help to create our identity as people of faith. It is that identity that I am inviting us to focus on today. Take a moment and think about your life. What are the experiences that have built you up, worn you down or have been traumatic? Take a moment and jot something down on the rock paper you have handy. Since today is Mother’s day, you might want to think about the influence that your mom had on your life. Sometimes moms draw out the best in us. For some, our relationship with our mothers is more complicated. The experience of our mothers changes throughout our lives but regardless of the relationship, we are shaped by our mothers.

In my own life, I used to think of myself as shy, insecure, and even unworthy. When I was doing my diaconal training for ministry, I found that the experience of spending time in community and being challenged by others shifted my identity to a place where most of the time I feel strong and confident. That experience shaped my identity.

How have your life experiences shaped you? Have they helped you to become compassionate, gentle, strong, independent, cautious of others or out-going? What words would you use to describe the characteristics these experiences have created in you? If you are online, type a word or phrase that describes these characteristics into the chatbox. You can also jot it on your paper.

These characteristics are part of God’s being within you. They are the essence of the living-God within you. This God being formed and re-formed within you.

On its own, a rock is a single, solitary rock. When it is placed with other rocks it becomes part of something else—a building, a monument, a bridge. God, the builder, takes us—living stones and builds us into something called “the church.” On our own, we are single and solitary. When we are connected, we become part of something else—still a living stone in our own right but part of something bigger than ourselves.

Our personal identities as disciples of Jesus become part of the larger. You can still see the individuals, but they are connected to and shaped by the stones around them. If you look at a rock on its own and then place it beside other rocks, you might notice that colour might appear different, perhaps the rough edges don’t seem as rough, perhaps some of the patterns in the rock is more or less noticeable. I think this also true of us as the church. When we become part of the church we are changed. We might notice that being part of a community of faith brings out qualities we didn’t know we had. We might discover gifts or skills or see ourselves and others in a different light.

The world and the church are in a moment of upheaval and change. As we go through this Covid time, we need to reflect deeply on our identity. What is the essence of God within us as individuals and what qualities is God inviting us to share with the world? What qualities or characteristics are most important to us as a church? This is also a moment for us to think about the role of church in our communities and world? What are the characteristics of the church that disciples of Jesus can share with the world?

As we move forward in this time, we need to consider carefully what it means to be living stones, shaped in God’s image and built together into something larger than ourselves.