Sermon from October 26th 2014 - Choosing Love over Fear ...

German Theologian, Karl Barth suggested that the proper way to preach in the Church is with the Bible in one hand, and the newspaper in the other. Our task in the pulpit is to engage the issues swirling around us in a meaningful way, while seeing and framing them through the lens of scripture and theological discourse … Today makes for a challenging moment if one is to honour Mr Barth and preach in the context of events this week in Montreal and Ottawa …

          Happenings in those cities were indeed tragic … the death of the two soldiers in random acts of violence were horrible and troubling … but … wrapping everything in a patriotic flag and painting these happenings as proof of the danger of radicalized Islam fails to grasp the many nuances at play in these events …

          For me personally, I frame the tragic deaths of two soldiers in isolated and troubling incidents along side the fact that behind the parliament buildings in Ottawa stands a memorial etched with the names of over 700 men and women who have fallen on duty as Police and Peace officers serving our country. Wearing a uniform puts them at risk … the video tape from Ottawa of various security and police officers rushing into the maelstrom of gun fire while everyone else ran the other way, speaks volumes about the risk they face every day as part of their job.

          The deaths of Corporal Cirillo and Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent are indeed tragic, but they are no more tragic than the deaths of the RCMP officers in New Brunswick a few short weeks ago, or the shootings of Four RCMP officers in Alberta a few years ago, or the death of any man or woman wearing a uniform protecting our nation and its values whether that happens in distant corners of the world, or in our nations capital …

          The handwringing and fear mongering has taken a tragedy and turned it into a political circus … if we are to honour one soldier, we are to honour all … if we are to honour one uniform we must honour all equally. The shootings in Ottawa and the ‘attack’ on the Parliament Buildings is more about the failure of our health system to address deep mental illness, then it is about radicalized Islam.

          The connection to radicalized Islamic teachings is tenuous and marginal at best … the connection to an untreated largely neglected mental illness is clear and is being overlooked in the frenzy to ‘protect ourselves’ and ensure security … events in Ottawa are really no different from the events in Manitoba a few short years ago when a deeply mentally ill man took a life on a grey hound on the transcanada hwy …

          What troubles me most deeply today, is the insistence from some corners that something changed on Wednesday … I have said since the events of 9/11 in NYC that nothing has really changed in the world – it is and remains a deeply violent place. But that violence – violence we read about every day in the media – violence that tears communities apart and destroys lives – that kind of violence has finally come to North America. We are no longer immune … we have it here too …

          Further contributing to my concern and worry are the calls for tighter security and the stripping away of freedom and rights and access in the name of security and safety … one does not make things safer by feeding fear and paranoia and encouraging the breakdown of community and common good … or worse, calls for freer gun laws – I’ve read on line opinions saying “if Canadians were armed with side arms, none of this would have happened, someone would have dropped the shooter, or stopped the driver before those soldiers died …” … or … more could have been wounded and killed in the ensuing mayhem of a shoot out … lost in the shuffle this week is the coverage of the trial for the shooting at the food court in the Eaton Centre where two died and a dozen were injured and a city was traumatized … violence is violence … suffering and death is suffering and death … events like those in Ottawa are far from unique or new – everyday our newspapers are filled with horrific happenings – nothing has changed this week we’re just waking up to the simple fact that as a society we have actively chosen to overlook such happenings and instead frivolously focus on other things … dozens of native women are missing and dead, but we look to find last night’s scores … hundreds of thousands of Canadians suffer with poverty and inadequate shelter, but we look for the latest sale at Target or WalMart … various isms run rampant in our society from sexism to racism and we chose to check our stocks rather than be outraged at the depth of hatred around us …

          This week – the newspaper in my hand speaks of an attack on our Nations’ capital and on a symbol that has significance for generations of Canadians … but it also offers a clarion call to embrace this idea of love that a radical Jewish preacher whispered into the world and in the process managed to bring HUGE and dramatic change into being …

          Speaking of Jesus’ message The Reverend Martin Luther King noted at Christmas in 1968 in a sermon broadcast on CBC as part of the Massey Lectures that:

          This Christmas season finds us a rather bewildered human race. We have neither peace within nor peace without. Everywhere paralyzing fears harrow people by day and haunt them by night. Our world is sick with war; everywhere we turn we see its ominous possibilities. And yet, my friends, the Christmas hope for peace and good will toward all men can no longer be dismissed as a kind of pious dream of some utopian. If we don't have good will toward men in this world, we will destroy ourselves by the misuse of our own instruments and our own power.

          In the context of preaching a message of peace King went on to note of love:

          There are three words for "love" in the Greek New Testament; one is the word "eros." Eros is a sort of esthetic, romantic love. Plato used to talk about it a great deal in his dialogues, the yearning of the soul for the realm of the divine. And there is and can always be something beautiful about eros, even in its expressions of romance. Some of the most beautiful love in all of the world has been expressed this way.

          Then the Greek language talks about "philia," which is another word for love, and philia is a kind of intimate love between personal friends. This is the kind of love you have for those people that you get along with well, and those whom you like on this level you love because you are loved.

          Then the Greek language has another word for love, and that is the word "agape." Agape is more than romantic love, it is more than friendship. Agape is understanding, creative, redemptive good will toward all men. Agape is an overflowing love which seeks nothing in return. Theologians would say that it is the love of God operating in the human heart. When you rise to love on this level, you love all men not because you like them, not because their ways appeal to you, but you love them because God loves them. This is what Jesus meant when he said, "Love your enemies." And I'm happy that he didn't say, "Like your enemies," because there are some people that I find it pretty difficult to like. Liking is an affectionate emotion, and I can't like anybody who would bomb my home. I can't like anybody who would exploit me. I can't like anybody who would trample over me with injustices. I can't like them. I can't like anybody who threatens to kill me day in and day out. But Jesus reminds us that love is greater than liking. Love is understanding, creative, redemptive good will toward all men. And I think this is where we are, as a people, in our struggle for racial justice. We can't ever give up. We must work passionately and unrelentingly for first-class citizenship. We must never let up in our determination to remove every vestige of segregation and discrimination from our nation, but we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege to love.

          I've seen too much hate to want to hate, myself, and I've seen hate on the faces of too many sheriffs, too many white citizens' councilors, and too many Klansmen of the South to want to hate, myself; and every time I see it, I say to myself, hate is too great a burden to bear. Somehow we must be able to stand up before our most bitter opponents and say: "We shall match your capacity to inflict suffering by our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. Do to us what you will and we will still love you. We cannot in all good conscience obey your unjust laws and abide by the unjust system, because non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good, and so throw us in jail and we will still love you. Bomb our homes and threaten our children, and, as difficult as it is, we will still love you. Send your hooded perpetrators of violence into our communities at the midnight hour and drag us out on some wayside road and leave us half-dead as you beat us, and we will still love you. Send your propaganda agents around the country, and make it appear that we are not fit, culturally and otherwise, for integration, and we'll still love you. But be assured that we'll wear you down by our capacity to suffer, and one day we will win our freedom. We will not only win freedom for ourselves; we will so appeal to your heart and conscience that we will win you in the process, and our victory will be a double victory."

          We have a choice today as people, as a community of faith, as a nation – we can give into our fears and build the kind of walls that see far worse than just hateful graffiti scrawled across the front of Islamic Mosques, or we can commit ourselves to a path of compassion, care and love …

          As people of faith, there really is no other option … the call is for us to stand in hope that our world WILL be transformed by love … we can live by the newspaper, or we can live by the Scriptures … one is about fear and selfishness … the other is about love and building community …

          There really is no choice … Jesus boldly offered one simple commandment if we dare to listen …

          Thanks be to God … let us pray …  

They rush in where angels may fear to tread ...

My colleague/friend and former class mate Rev. Audrey offered a reflection this morning on her blog 'Am I The Rev in black?" about the recent sacrifices experienced by First Responders in West Texas when a fertilizer plant exploded, and even when we consider the First Responders who were part of the tragic events in Boston ... as I read her words my mind wandered to the Memorials dedicated to Fallen Peace Officers that I have visited - Memorials where I find the name Constable S.E. Ankenmann, etched in the stone or glass ... The fallen First Responder, whether they are Police, Fire or EMT - reminds me of the sacrifice my family made when Dad died on duty with the OPP.

I still remember a 'good' church member in Manitoba telling me after the shooting of four RCMP officers in Alberta, that "you really need to get over it, it was a long time ago that your dad died ..."

It was a long time ago ... but it is something I am reminded of every time I read or hear of another First Responder who dies doing what they are trained and called to do.

The firefighters who died when the fire at the fertilizer plant exploded reminded me ... Audrey's words today reminded me ... watching the footage of the funeral in Boston for a fallen officer reminded me ...

I take solace that despite the every increasing number of names on memorials scattered across the country that acknowledge the sacrifice of the few, there are many officers who put on the uniform and step out the door each day willing to do what they do, and willing to face what ever danger or risk may be inherent in the job.

We can make fun of our police, fire and EMTs, and poke fun at the stereotypes that they often embody - but at the end of the day, we can't escape the simple undeniable FACT, that when there is danger, it is the First Responders who are rushing in while others are running out.

If there is an accident, a bombing, a fire or any other happening that shatters lives, it is the men and women in uniform who are the first one scene, and who try to bring order out of chaos and ensure the safety of all involved - and for that I remain grateful.

My prayer today is that perhaps fewer names will be etched and carved on the memorials as we begin to value not only our first responders, but each other, and we move away from a predilection for violence, and chose instead a desire for respect and peace ...

... maybe one day ... in the meantime, I offer grateful prayers of thanksgiving, and continue to pray for our First Responders and their families ...

Our ONLY response to fear ...

I have always liked the oratory and writings of Martin Luther King Jr.

In high school I remember discovering the book "A Testament of Hope: The essential writings of MLK" and devouring his words. My introduction to King came earlier, when in the basement of Centennial United Church in Stratford, our then minister Rev. Ross Cumming played a vinyl album of King's Christmas Sermon on Peace, that was recorded then broadcast, as part of the Massey Lectures on CBC.

I can still remember listening to the slightly hissy sound of King addressing his congregation in Georgia on Christmas Eve in 1967, and offering profound words that touched on so many topics, and offered an message of HOPE.

I was hooked. Ross opened the door, and since then much of what I've offered in my preaching, my reflections and my writing has been deeply grounded in the teachings and theology of King and his Gospel of Non-Violence, his Gospel of Justice, and most of all his Gospel of Hope.

In the last couple of days, I find myself revisiting King and his teachings. And I have noticed on Facebook that I am NOT alone in that - over and over since the bombing in Boston, quotations from MLK Jr have popped up on memes and postings, as people strive to make sense of the fear that has settled in.

King reminded us and continues to remind us that Love IS stronger than hate, compassion is stronger than apathy, and peace is stronger than anger ... we, like we did in the late 1960's, stand in a bewlidering place. The news is full of grim and horrendous happenings that leave communities and lives shattered. Our screens are full of bloodshed and suffering on a scale that is staggering. It is too easy to become fearfilled and lock ourselves behind closed doors ...

But, in that moment we have a Biblical example ... the first disciples locked themselves away behind closed doors for fear of the violence that could be directed at them and the harm they could experience ... they sat shivering in fear when suddenly the Risen One appeared before them and said the simple yet profound words: PEACE BE WITH YOU!! Shalom alakium!!

And in that moment the world changed!

We are no longer prisoners to fear. We are no longer people without hope.

We are the ones called, commissioned and sent out into the world to proclaim that gift of peace and to embody that hope.

We are the ones who go out into the corners of the world where fear is so thick that people lurk behind closed windows and locked doors, and we LIVE the HOPE that people like Martin Luther King so eloquently spoke and lived.

We are the ones who turn off the screens and fold up the newspapers when they are overflowing with terrible stories and happenings, and celebrate that our world is awash in goodness, revelling in the smiles and the community around us, and daring to proclaim that ONE DAY THE WORLD WILL CHANGE.

It is too easy to give into fear. But as people of faith - whether you are part of an organized faith, or just in touch with your own spirituality, our job is to go into the world and not let the darkness overwhelm us. We are to go into the world and BE THE HOPE and THE CHANGE we seek!!!

By sharing our care, our compassion, our understanding and our love, we will wear down the anger and fear and hatred that seems so prevelant. AND more importantly, by not giving into our fears, we will show others that the GOOD people out number the bad, and that as we fumble along in the darkness we will find more and more people yearning for the same thing, and soon the two or three that started the journey will be ten then twenty, then fifty, then a thousand ... and the strength of GOOD will grow, and those who preach messages of hate and try to beat us down with acts of terror will find themselves not only out numbered, but overwhelmed with the power of LIFE, LOVE and PEACE offered in HOPE.

As the British government said in the deep dark days of World War Two - "Keep Calm and Carry On!!" Today we Keep Calm, Carry On and embrace Hope rather then give in to fear.!!!

If our leaders can't offer that message, then we need to offer it ourselves!!!

We need to LIVE IT!!

We are a Hope-filled people - let's go and embody, embrace and share it !!!

Today I shall wear purple ...

Today I will proudly follow the crowd and wear purple as a visibile and visual reminder to OTHERS about the dangers and perils of BULLYING!!!

Every day when I look in the mirror I am reminded of the scars of bullying. My nose was broken no less then twice by bullies who thought it was fun and okay to punch me in the face.

I remember many long nights as a teen weeping in fear at the prospects of going back to school and facing the torment and the violence to my person. Some of it was physical, but much was verbal and emotional.

Can you imagine making fun of a child because their father was dead, and they lived in a single parent home?

I still remember the afternoon that happened for the first time ...

I still remember being picked on because my clothes were hand-me-downs, and my jeans were patched and a bit ratty (this was before THAT was the style) ...

I still remember being picked LAST, or in some case not at all for games in the school yard and in my neighbourhood ... and then if I showed ANY emotion, or the slightest tear being mercilessly teased ...

I still remember the hurt that was constant and seemingly endless ...

I survived ... but I still remember ...

And today, I weep not for the Amanda Todd's of the world - there are more than enough people weeping for the pretty photogenic victims of bullying - but I weep for the hundreds of thousands of faceless victims who never have that moment in the limelight that says "YOU ARE VALUABLE AND LOVED AND WORTH MORE THEN THE B-LLS--T!!!!"

I have found it disturbing to read online over and over postings by people asking "What about ----?" and they cite a friend, a family member or another young person who has been bullied to the point of suicide.

As horrible as the story of Amanda Todd is, the lesson we NEED to know and remember and act on - is that bullying in ANY and ALL forms is wrong, and there are hundreds of thousands of kids being bullied for any number of reasons today, and they don't get the media attention Ms Todd and her family are getting.

Those kids need to be remembered TOO!!!

The other longer life lesson we need to be mindful of, is that Bullying is not limited only to the playground or the school class room. It happens in a myriad of ways and continues well into adulthood.

I wish I could say I left Bullying behind in my childhood, but I can look back in my journey as an adult and as a minister and see shining examples of Bullies and bullying behaviour in almost every corner of my life.

Slashing my tires and shooting at my house are extreme examples of bullying ... false reports to the Childrens' Aid and traumatizing my children are definitely a form of bullying ... spreading false rumours and listening to them is a form of bullying ... failing to stand up for someone being pummelled and harassed is a form of bullying ... and claiming to be a 'good Christian' while avoiding someone in a mall or on the street is a form of bullying ...

My list could go on ... but I don't need to revisit the past - most of the examples are cited previously throughout the past posts here at Prairie Preacher, so I will leave the list as it is and offer the hopeful prayer that one day the Church will see that it can do more and be better at walking the talk, and that it will take seriously the need to address bullying in its own courts and circles ...

Bullying leaves life long scars, but fortunately we know that there is a strange twist in the old adage: "Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me ..."

Names do hurt. But when the names and the sticks and the stones break our bones (our spirit, our heart), we are made stronger at the place where that breakage occurs. The scar that forms will often make the bone stronger and that is what victims of bullying rely on - the strength that comes from surviving, healing and attaining wholeness!!

Looking back, I know I was often the victim of relentless and horrible abuse and bullying ... but the healing that followed has help forge me into the adult I am today. I'm far from perfect, and I've needed to work through some stuff along the way, but I know now, 40 years later, that victims can survive and prosper.

AND that my friends is the message we need to get out there to every victim of Bullying: They can survive and become stronger people because they've overcome the fearfilled abuse weaklings attempted to inflict on them.

If we want to honour victims like Amanda Todd, we have to do more than just stop bullying - we have to help ALL the victims survive and transform our world with the amazing strength they have to share!!!

Namste!!!

As our Olympians return home ...

In the wake of the London Olympics I think expressing our appreciation to ALL the athletes is not only appropriate, but the ONLY response.

ALL of the athletes who were in London did a great job and have more than earned the appreciaition of our Nation for making us proud.

Afterall, the Olympics are not just about getting Gold medals, they are about being the best you can be and striving to achieve personal bests. (Remember the Jamaican Bobsled team and Eddie the Eagle Edwards??)

Aren't the Olympics about higher, stronger, faster?? I don't remember ever reading that they are about only getting the gold? Being there alone is a spectacular achievement, and every one of those men and women who wore Canada on their chests entering the Stadium 18 days ago deserve our respect, our admiration, and our pride - they've earned it!!!

Thanks to Team Canada for a job well done!!! You made us proud!!!

Really??? The United Church makes the headlines again ...

This weekend, Globe and Mail Columnist Margaret Wente once again takes aim at the United Church of Canada, and dubs us and other more liberal denominations as irrelevant ...

My first response was "Really? Again?"

Then I read the article and I wondered yet again, why the media publishes articles about the United Church and manages almost EVERY TIME to interview people within this vast and diverse denomination, who are not really that reflective of the Church or its leadership.

There are those folks out there who do well at getting press coverage and getting their ideas and opinions out there, and in the process are deemed "reflective of the United Church." But when I read yet again, a clergy person who expresses a negative opinion of something as central and basic as belief in God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit I have to wonder what United Church they represent.

This past year, our congregations did a line by line study-conversation of the documents of faith that are part of the revisit and reframing of our beliefs as a Denomination. Over and over we commented on how the older pre-1968 words were problematic in embracing and reflecting our modern beliefs. But overarching that conversation was a firm and unwavering belief in God, and the basic tenets of the Church ... God, the Resurrection, Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the transformative power of the Holy in our lives and in our world ... the words may vary, but the faith does NOT.

We spoke of the power and the necessity of prayer.

We spoke of the power and centrality of community.

We spoke of how our faith effects everything we are about as we live and move in our circles of family, friend and community.

We spoke of how what we believe colours and inspires our choices and actions.

We spoke of how being Believers motivates us to support the local food bank, offer support to our neighbours, opt to support outreach programmes and initiative, and be active and involved in our community.

We spoke of how living our faith means being open to sharing it with others through worship services, outreach dinners, weekly gatherings, the presence at the Farmers' Market and a dozen other things we do over and over and over ...

Is the Church irrelevant ... to some ... but as even Ms Wente notes, there is a spiritual hunger out 'there', and it our responsibility as a believing and vibrant Church to open our doors to new people, and invite them to become part of the conversation.

AND, I will go out on a limb and say BOLDLY and UNAPOLOGETICALLY, that 99% of that task rests on the shoulders of the Clergy. It is our responsibility as clergy to provide a passionate, enthusiastic, and faithful (not too mention Faith FILLED) leadership that inspires our people to dream and hope, and equips them intellectually, mentally, emotionally AND spiritually to go out  into the world and envision ways of sharing their faith.

It is NOT about the cult of personality that see Pastors drawing in waves of people enamoured by the prosperity gospel or some simplistic reading of the Scriptures, but rather it is ALL about COMPETENCE!!!

We need clergy who care about more than their pension and their next cheque.

We need clergy who are not marking the days to retirement.

WE NEED CLERGY WHO GIVE A DAMN!!!!!

Too many clergy are bland milque toast in their preaching and in their presence ... and too many clergy and leaders are SO steeped in the ways of the Church, that they are truly out of touch with the real world ... what we need is a diversity ... passion ... enthusiasm and a HUGE dose of living vibrant faith.

I can count on my facebook at least a dozen clergy friends who are incredibly competent and capable and amazingly passionate in living their faith - almost everyone of them begins and ends their work in prayer, and none of them undervalue the necessity of the Church to change and grow and embrace the leadership of the Spirit. They ARE believers and not surprisingly, none of them have ever been interviewed by mainstream media about what is wrong with the Church - and THANKFULLY, almost everyone of them is willing, able and courageous enough to express their take on what is wrong with the Church we all continue to call home.

I can speak only for myself, but I am willing to bet, that everyone of them continues to share in the ministry of this Church - This UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA, that we call home because everyday they encounter amazing people who inspire them and remind us that we are not dead yet, and that with the presence and love of the Holy Spirit Resurrections loom and bloom around us every single day.

Thanks for folks like Adam, Barb, Nick, Audrey, Phil, Clare, Cheryl-Anne, Darren, Brian, Bill, Bob, Gord, and dozens of others - the Untied Church of Canada is alive and well, and STILL living what it believes.

In short Ms Wente, and folks like David Ewart are WRONG.

The Church is still relevant - and our willingness to embrace social causes while living our belief with honesty and integrity and passion is what WILL change the WORLD!!!!

Stay tuned ... we've ONLY JUST BEGUN !!!!!

Yes WE Can !!!!

WOW!!!

President Obama uttered a long overdue truth, and segments of American and Canadian society are having a fit because of it ... ALL because as a father, Barack Obama looked into the eyes of his daughters, and like Rev. Martin Luther King Jr 60 years ago, saw the necessity of speaking out against an injustice and speaking instead a truth - that ALL people are of equal value, and sexuality is not an issue that should divide us!!

In the days since President Obama spoke his conscience and offered his support to same sex marriage, I've gained EVEN MORE respect for him as a person, as a leader, as a father, and as a President.

I've been a fan of Obama since his election victory, and I've worried that he may become a one term president because of the fear that  is gripping North American society. But I think the strength of leadership Obama offers is much needed in our world today.

We need people like him who are willing to speak up and speak out, and stand for true justice.

In 2008, the Obama campaign spoke daringly of 'Hope' in a world dark with fear. His chant "Yes, We Can" was about more than just American Pride - it was about revisioning the world in an audacious way, and opening wide the doors for ALL people.

This week, Obama stepped up and did the right thing ... unfortunately, there are still many who fail to see that hate, prejudice and fear have too much say in our world, and hinder and limit the Children of God in hurtful and abusive ways.

My one regret is that the leadership in my country has chosen a path of fear rather than hope ... and I continue to hope that our southern cousins continue on this marvelous path of Hope being guided and inspired by a remarkable man named Obama!!!

(Check out what Pastor Blake has to say about President B. Obama by clicking here)

Where two or three are gathered ...

Perhaps one of the wisest things ever posited on the lips of Jesus was the statement: "Wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there ..."

In the modern rural Church, two or three is sometimes the full congregation.

In an article from the Winnipeg Free Press (click here to read it), the author, Randy Turner examines in a fairly even handed and upfront way what the implication of congregations numbering less than a half a dozen means for the future of the Rural Church. In Turner's case, the issue is focused on Manitoba, highlighting congregations west and south of Brandon, but the future of Rural Churches in the 21st Century is precarious at best.

The biggest challenge Rural Churches face is Denominations that really don't care about them. By and large, we live and minister with an unspoken, but very real ethos of measuring our 'success' in ministry by moving 'UP' to bigger and wealthier and MORE urban Churches.

In the last 20 years of active ministry I've witnessed dozens of students settled in to small mult-point rural Churches only to blast off to bigger more urban charges as quickly as they could ... the comment is often made that it is a three or four year stop by these students before they head off to bigger and better congregations.

What does this expectation say of Rural Ministry?

What does the shift away from settlement in the United Church mean for these struggling multi-point Pastoral Charges?

What care does the greater Church really show towards Rural Pastoral Charges when a rural church an hour and a half outside of Toronto (and less than 30 minutes away from a larger centre) is regarded as 'remote and isolated' by most of the Church? What does this say about the isolated and remote centres like Inglis, Ninette, Nipawin, Bella Coola and countless other points thousands of kilometres beyond the shadow of the GTA????

Rural Ministry is the very heart of the Canadian Church. Many of the great leaders of our storied past came from rural places, and the conversations that gave our nation things like the Social Gospel, Universal Medicare, and countless other social safety nets, began at the kitchen tables and Church basement gatherings of RURAL folks who shared coffee or tea and started discussing solutions to the problems that ail us.

Even things like clergy car allowances, and appropriate renumeration for housing started in the backwoods of Rural Saskatchewan when young clergy listened to the struggles of their older counter parts who couldn't retire because they had nothing to live on ... the youngsters saw and injustice and worked diligently to rectify the situation, not for themselves, but for ALL of us ... I was privileged to meet and become friends with one of the ring leaders of this when I was in ministry in BC. Rev. Jack walked away from the United Church later because he couldn't tolerate hypocrisy and b-llsh-t, but he remained a dedicated servant of Christ even outside the tent we call The Church.

The bottom line to me when I read articles like Turner's is that we need to reorient our thinking about Rural Churches, and stop seeing them as something that needs to be closed, amalgamated, or dismissed for the good of the larger Church. Instead, we need to step back and reorient our focus and realize that when there are two or three dedicated and committed people in a community who are willing continue live their faith, there is HUGE potential.

The article itself dances along that acknowledgement when it notes the tragic death of two young women in Boissevain ... in those moments, when communities are brought to their knees and struggle to comprehend what is happening around them, the strength of the Church becomes an invaluable resource.

Not only can we put words to the grief, we have the tools to help move people from the darkness into the light of the Resurrection. When a community struggles to make sense of a tragedy like the loss of the two young women, the history, heritage, theology, and mere presence of the Church offers a balm to the soul of the grieving ... it may not seem like much, but those tens of thousands of egg salad sandwiches prepared and shared, are about more than just lunch!!

AND there in lies the potential of the Rural Church ... we have the tools and the means of engaging and enhancing our local communities, we just need to stop our lamenting, and use our faith to move forward.

There may only be two or three gathered on a Sunday, but instead of weeping and saying "there are only two or three" we need to celebrate that there are still two or three, and use the gifts, talents, enthusiasms and faith of that small group to touch positively the community around them ... people may think The Church is irrelevant and a thing of the past, but that is the very moment when the Spirit can do her best work !!!

It's time for Denominations like the United Church (and others) to value Rural Churches by investing, time, money, resources, skills, and PEOPLE into them, and stop buying into the cultural value that erroneously claims bigger is better, and urban is better than rural ...

Remember, when Jesus sought out the very presence of God, he didn't do it in the city, he did it in the remote rural places!!!

If rural was good enough for Jesus how can we even think about dismissing it today???

Peace !!

Accidents and Tragedies: The New Form of Lottery ???

Today I read the story from CBC online about the call from not ONE, but TWO law firms in Ontario for passengers who were on the VIA train on Sunday that derailed in Burlington and tragically killed three VIA employees.

(CBC.ca story: VIA derailment passengers sought for class action)

While part of me remembers the old example of a bus accident in the US that had dozens upon dozens of people stepping up in a class action lawsuit following an accident. I don't remember the specific story, but it was essentially a bus with a dozen or so people was involved in an accident, but when the EMT folks showed up there were several dozen people on board the bus, and ALL of them had 'injuries' requiring attention. The fly in their lottery dreams was the onboard camera that was able to identify the actual people ON the bus when it had the accident, and those who rushed on following the accident ... I've never read how the class action suit turned out on THAT one, but I would hope the Bus Company launched one for FRAUD.

But in this case, a tragic accident has happened, and even before the tracks are cleared and restored the lawyers are circling ... they truly illustrate the bad joke about lawyers chasing ambulances !!!!

People are entitled to some level of compensation for their suffering and losses they may experience from their injuries and the trauma the event represents. BUT, too often though, these moments become like a lottery with people wanting to sue for HUGE cash settlements that are out of proportion with the actual accident itself.

We have moved into a very litigious era in our human history. Years ago when someone slipped and fell they would get up and walk it off. But today when someone slips and falls the threat of a law suit is real and immediate ... the potential for devestating court findings is no longer a remote possibility, but increasingly it is becoming a certainty.

Am I the only one who thinks that this is just WRONG???

If there is negligence, I'm all for ensuring it never happens again. But too often these class action suits help ONLY to put money in the pockets of the law firms, and don't do much other than leave some people wealthy and others losing services as settlements bankrupt businesses and organizations AND drive insurance costs through the roof.

These class action suits are NOT a lottery.

When it comes to something like a plane, a train or a bus, we ALL end up paying when the business passes its losses on to the consumers.

When it comes to a business or an organization, we ALL end up paying through the loss of services, and/or the increase in the cost of insurance which drives up what we pay ourselves, and drives up what we pay for goods and services as business models require that cost to be passed on to users.

The bottom line is simply this: THIS AIN'T A LOTTERY, why do we continue to allow class action law suits that are clearly about cash rewards, not addressing dangerous situations and preventable tragedies?????

Makes me think about the old joke: What do you call 100 lawyers drowning at sea??

A GOOD START.

I have respect for many in the legal profession - but modern ambulance chasers deserve ONLY contempt !!!

Proof our World is seriously messed up ...

I know I've becoming increasingly cynical about life, the universe and everything, but today I had a convergence of discoveries that has lead me to the irrefutable conclusion that our planet and our western culture is seriously messed up!!

For starters I read a quotation from Jeb Bush former Governor of the state of Florida that was openly questioning the current Republican Presidential candidate race ... While I agree with what Jeb said and actually found myself saying "Wow, as SMART Bush!!!" the focus of his comment saddened me ... Bush said:

"I used to be a conservative, and I watch these debates and I'm wondering, I don't think I've changed, but it's a little troubling sometimes when people are appealing to people's fears and emotion rather than trying to get them to look over the horizon for the broader perspective."

I've long and frequently said we live in a world of fear ... most of it is fear born of ignorance and misinformation, and fed by the narrow minded amongst us who use hot button issues to stir the pot and create controversy.

Shortly after reading the Bush Quote on Facebook, another friend posted a link to an article from the Globe and Mail commenting on a Christian ministry in the US who is calling for a boycott of the Coffee juggernaut Starbucks. The reason for this boycott?

Because Starbucks supports Gay Marriage.

Aaron, a fellow blogger and a digitial techno-weinie within the United Church observed of the article:

"For most people, it's going to be easy to understand that Starbucks position on gay marriage is the right thing to do in a pluralistic society. The boycotting pastor, and all the others trying to use boycotts to limits the rights of gays and lesbians, are only contributing to the marginalization of the reputation of the church and Christians in general. It's a losing strategy. This is why it's very important for Christian supporters of marriage equality proudly share what we believe."

While I agree with Aaron that such silliness makes ALL Christians look marginalized, I think we could learn from those within our Christian Family who are marginalized for another reason.

In ALL of my reading lately I have come to the conclusion that we of the Church who want to live our faith must consider opting out of the rampant consumerism that has gripped our culture. For me the issue of Boycotting Starbucks should be primarily for the use and promotion of FAIR TRADE products within that corporation and better working conditions for its employees.

BUT, overarching ALL of this is the realization that we in the Church should be boycotting the whole consumerist lifestyle that sees a Starbucks, or a Timmie's or a coffee from any franchise outlet as a necessary part of our day.

Why are Christians, that is FOLLOWERS of Christ so blithely participating in the market place in the first place?

This past week our study groups here in Flesherton read through the Song of Faith put out by the United Church in 2006, and under consideration in a remit today, and we read the words:

Sin is not only personal
but accumulates
to become habitual and systemic forms
of injustice, violence and hatred.

If we read and take seriously the words of folks like Jim Wallis, Walter Bruggemann, and others who stand on the prophetic margins of our Church and society today, we would recognize that the consumerist culture we so easily move within is a systemic sin ... Starbucks is part of it, not because it supports Gay Marriage (that idea is a redeeming quality of the super corporation), but because it is part of the problem.

The current economic system is BROKEN.

It destroys communities, misuses resources, values profits over people, values short term gain over long term values like health, safety and the environment, and perhaps MOST reprehensible of all - the current Market Economy and its reliance on Consumerism has erroneously bought into the belief that growth is unlimited and necessary. To my reckoning, the ONLY biological process that holds to THAT particular belief is what medical folks call CANCER.

The place of the Church - the followers of Christ in our world is NOT boycotting a company because it support Gay Marriage, but boycotting the ENTIRE SYSTEM that places too much importance on shopping, consuming and living beyond the means of our budget and our planet.

Our planet is in trouble if we don't wake up soon and see the fallacy of the consumerist culture that so enraptures humanity ... we're messed up ...

The final piece that fell into place for me today to underscore that realization was finding out that someone sued PepsiCo (the parent company of Cap'n Crunch cereal) because they had been eating Cap'n Crunch cereal with Crunch Berried for FOUR years believing they were consuming real fruit.

According to what I read, in their affidavit, they felt betrayed, mislead and humiliated by the realization that crunchberries were NOT REALLY fruit, but simply coloured balls of cereal.

REALLY??

That realization was humiliating??

I would have been humiliated by the realization that I was THAT dumb ...

Today I hear the old song by Christian Gospel/Contemporary musician Randy Stonehill who sang "Stop the World I want to Get Off" back in the 80's ... though I don't agree with everything he sings about, I DO agree with the sentiment ... today I'd like to find a quiet little planet with some intelligent life !!!

Check out Randy's song here: (click for 'Stop the World I Want to Get Off")

Some reading to enrich your heart and soul ...

I've been doing a fair bit of reading articles and postings online lately, and thought it would be worth sharing some of them here ... so here we go:

An elqoquent and powerful statement about living our faith:

I'm Christian, unless you're gay.

A very good and apt commentary about the recent Black Friday happenings:

Pepper Spray Cop Begets Pepper Spray Shoppers.

And of course there is the photoshop versions of the Pepper Spraying Cop:

Pepper Spraying Cop.

And, there is the whole issue of our consumerism running wild:

Will Shopping Save Us?

Now that I've mentioned the Occupy Movement, here's an article about the impact it has had:

How Occupy is Transforming the National Conversation.

And I've saved the BEST for last. Here is a Baptist Pastor's reflection on the role the Church SHOULD be playing in the Occupy Movement. Going straight to the source, he hits the nail smack on the head !!! Thanks to Rev. Bess for this:

Would Jesus Join the Occupy Movement?


Happy Reading !!!

British Riots and reflective feedback ...

I can't help but wonder if the London Riots are simply the tip of a bigger more ominious iceberg that is about to tear a whole into the heart of our culture and society ...

Last night on CBC Radio as I was driving home from Stratford I listened to the many bits and pieces they broadcast about the ongoing riots in Britain. I found myself nodding in agreement with the politicians who posit the blame for much of this on the shoulders of parents who have failed miserably in providing their children with quality time, value as people and citizens and most important of all: a moral compass. When I heard the clip on "As it Happens" from the BBC interviewing rioters in Birmingham who were proud that they had looted a store for things they could afford, but didn't want to spend money on a penny dropped for me ...

The problem is societal. For the last twenty years we've valued and dare I say as a theologian, worshipped the consumerist lifestyle, falsely believing that commericalism will cure all that ails us. The most chilling example of this might be George W. Bush in the smouldering wake of 9/11 telling American to 'continue shopping' as though nothing was wrong ... somewhere along the line we've sold our collective souls to the company store, and our company store bears names like Nike, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and so on ...

We've displaced real relationships with people for our relationships with stuff ... we marvel through shows like Hoarders, at people who have too much stuff, and we rail when people with too little stuff seem to abuse food banks and charities ... yet, the effect of placing our emphasis on STUFF is most harshly revealed in places like London, Birmingham and the other city centres across England that are smouldering in the wake of these ongoing riots.

The problem is not solely disenfranchised and alientated youth - the problem is our SOCIETY.

We've lost our moral compass.

We value massive houses on acreages as the symbol of wealth while failing to recognize that many in our communities today can barely put food on the table while others doors away live with such abundance that they think NOTHING of building a 400 000 dollar house with a 7 car garage and filling it with the newest electronics and latest gadgets, all the while ignoring the profound and devestating effects this unchecked consumerism is having on our community, our region, our country and our planet.

We've bought into a flawed idea that happiness will be found wearing the right clothes, using the right gadgests, eating the right foods, driving the right car, and hanging out with the right people ... what we've failed to acknowledge is that such pursuits eventually need, nay they demand, that only the newest and the latest will suffice.

The rat race we're on as a culture is offensive on EVERY LEVEL and we close our eyes to it ...

Want to stop the riots in England and prevent them elsewhere?

My solution is simple - turn off the crap on our screens like Jersey Shore and the other shows that stress bad behaviour, an indulgent lifestyle and a lack of responsibility ... next, take these young people and sit them down with the folks who's lives they've disrupted and let them listen to how their selfishness has effected others ... then finally, as parents and citizens, let's insist that our kids need to take off their caps as a sign of respect, pull up their damned jeans, stop talking the jibberish that passes for 'street talk' and start being RESPONSIBLE and most of all RESPECTFUL members of society.

Let's start teaching our children the meaning of the word "NO" and stop indulging them ... if we fail to heed the warnings the riots in Britan are simple the start of a new troubling trend !!

P.S. I find it funny that there was a timely article on parenting in a recent Atlantic magazine - check it out by clicking here!!