We begin our work ...

Last week I pondered about giving and gratitude, and offered some ideas from Diana Butler Bass’ lecture and book on the subject. This week, it’s time to get down to business.

After months of consultation, meetings, paperwork, bureaucracy, and the particular part of purgatory that is ChurchHub, (although there was an angel from the UCC staff that helped me navigate ChurchHub eventually), this week the Bermuda Nova Scotia Regional Council approved the extension of my appointment to full time hours, (40 hours per week), from May 1/25 to April 30/26.

This is so that I can offer support and leadership to Bethany as we focus on several key areas that were named in the Congregational Survey carried out by the Community Profle group last fall – the areas of Stewardship, governance (how we make decisions), and pastoral care.

I will focus on each one of those areas in this space in the coming days and weeks.

This week – let’s talk about Stewardship. Stewardship is not just about money. It is about how we live out our faith. It is about discipleship.

The United Church of Canada has a multitude of ideas, blogs and testimonies about Stewardship on its website. It’s a bit overwhelming. Here’s a video that I found engaging.

Chris Levan - Giving Thanks/Modelling Gratitude

As I begin to think about how to begin our work at Bethany, I found two short blogs interesting, both written by Vicki Nelson, Community of Faith Stewardship Support for Pacific Mountain, Chinook Winds, Northern Spirit, Living Skies and Prairie to Pine Regions of The United Church of Canada.

This one articulates how United Church camps teach the radical generosity that prepares young people to create a more just world. This gave me hope, and reminded me that stewardship is not just what we put in the envelope on Sunday morning.

https://united-church.ca/blogs/round-table/training-grounds-revolution

In this one, Nelson articulates some current thinking about Stewardship, and why it matters, and in my opinion, makes a very good case for seeing Stewardship as something that is about more than just money. It’s about time, and community, and a way of living out one’s faith.

How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Ignore the Budget | The United Church of Canada

I will be looking for folks to think this out with and help me plan a Stewardship campaign in the fall, so let me know if you are interested.

Grateful ps ... and Mother's Day

(from the movie Nonnas, on Netflix)

I found out yesterday that in fact some folks studied the book Grateful by Diana Butler Bass with Kevin in 2018. As I pointed out in yesterday’s blog, I am thinking we might use it as a book study in the late summer or early fall. Those who looked at the book in 2018 might be interested in revisiting the conversation, or perhaps even loaning their copy of the book to someone else who wants to read it. Let me know what you think.

This Sunday, we look at the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in the book of Acts. We look at themes of belonging, community, diversity, and family – both chosen and biological. It is Christian Family Sunday, what some have historically called Mother’s Day.

You can find lots on the internet about the origins of Mothers Day, which is credited to Anna Jarvis in 1905. But decades earlier, author and poet Julia Ward Howe promoted a Mothers’ Peace Day, calling for “women to gather once a year in parlors, churches, or social halls, to listen to sermons, present essays, sing hymns or pray if they wished — all in the name of promoting peace.” (5 Facts About Mother's Day Origin - History of Mother's Day)

My experience tells me that there are mixed feelings around Mother’s Day. And there are lots of reasons for those mixed feelings. Perhaps it is about loss - whether it is recent, or long in the past. Perhaps the day brings up painful memories, not happy, warm memories. Anne Lamott has captured the complexity of the day in a 2010 essay on Mother’s Day which she reposts every year. You can read it at at the link below … but beware, it’s not for the faint of heart.

Why I hate Mother's Day | Salon.com

If you are looking for a great, feel good movie this weekend check out Nonnas on Netflix. Starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, Lorraine Bracco, Brenda Vacarro and Talia Shire, “Nonnas” is inspired by the life of Jody Scaravella, who, after losing his mother, opened Enoteca Maria on Staten Island in 2007.

Here’s the trailer for the movie: (337) NONNAS | Official Trailer | Netflix - YouTube

Still thriving two decades later, the restaurant became famous for the grandmothers or nonnas in the kitchen. Each of them cooking dishes from different Italian regions. It has now expanded to include grandmothers from all over the world. You can check out the story about the movie and the restaurant CBS Sunday Morning at

Watch Sunday Morning: "Nonnas" share food "made with love" - Full show on CBS

See you Sunday!

Gratitude

Diana Butler Bass, American historian of Christianity, author of eleven (soon to be 12) books, and advocate for progressive Christianity offered two public lectures this week as part of the Atlantic School of Theology Alumni Homecoming Reunion. Her lectures were on the subject of Gratitude. The title of her last book is Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks.

I will be thinking about some of the things I heard for some time, and will offer a few teasers later in the blog. Some members of the Faith Study have suggested a summer book club, and I am thinking that it might be a great selection. I notice on her website that there are several different study and discussion guides, which is always a bonus. I think it could also compliment one of the named priorities for the coming year which is Stewardship.

First … I will tell you what I am grateful for this week. The above picture is my Polar Ice Machine. Usually around $400, I got it “free” with the $2,000 brace that I got for my knee last year.

It hadn’t been out of the box until about two weeks ago. I was just too overwhelmed at the time with getting used to all the elements of the brace to manage yet another contraption, with its big manual and attachments and gadgets. It just looked too confusing. Besides … my knee wasn’t bothering me.

Then the flare up hit last month. When I finally got in to see my long time physiotherapist, she took one look at it before she began the acupuncture. “That’s really swollen … you really should be using the ice machine.” Well, that was the shaming that I needed. But even Pat, who can figure anything out, couldn’t figure this one out. So the next week I gently explained that we couldn’t figure out how to work the thing. Then she suggested one of the brace specialists could offer me a little hands on tutorial.

I am a hands on learner. Exactly what I needed.

The idea is that ice (or ice packs) and water go into the cube, everything gets hooked up, plugged in, wrapped around a body part, and turned on … and ice water circulates in the pad along with compression. I have to say … it didn’t take long before I was hooked. It felt amazing. The idea is that you can withstand this much longer than a regular ice pack. Even up to an hour or more.

I am pleased to report that on my next visit to the physiotherapist she said “oh … the swelling has gone down.” Sometimes, it takes me a year to finally catch on to something good.

Back to gratitude and feeling grateful. I really didn’t know quite what to expect, not having read Butler Bass’ latest book. What is there left to say about gratitude and being grateful? It’s a good thing, right?

Well, yes and no. Over the course of the two evenings, Butler Bass took us on quite journey. From a soft beginning about how we express gratitude, to some of the more subversive aspects of gratitude as a spiritual practice, I became more and more engaged. This is an excerpt from her website at

 Grateful: The Subversive Practice of Giving Thanks | Diana Butler Bass

“Although most of us know that gratitude is good — and good for us — there is a gap between our desire to be grateful and our ability to behave gratefully. The implications of the gap are bigger than we realize, affecting both our personal and public lives. In Grateful, Bass weaves together social science research, spiritual wisdom, and contemporary issues as she calls for a richer understanding and practice of gratitude. What emerges are surprising insights about the power of thankful living to change how we treat one another, and how we might transform our world.”

I will be processing and thinking about this in the days to come and I don’t think you have heard the last from me about this. In the meantime, I will be plugged in and attached to my polar ice machine whenever I have the opportunity. And feeling grateful.

Earth Day and Camping Sunday

image from Sanctifiedart.org; special Sundays

This Sunday we celebrate Earth Day and Camping Sunday. More about that at the end of the blog … but as I was looking at past sermons about camp, and earth day, I came across this wonderful video which I showed in worship many years ago. I was delighted to see it again … and I have watched it a number of times this week when I have felt overwhelmed. It brings me such joy!

Perhaps some of you may remember …

Harry Belafonte and The Muppets - Earth Song (short version)

I last wrote this blog on the Saturday before Easter, what we often call Holy Saturday. That in between time. A time between grief and hope. It has been a rollercoaster since our glorious Easter Sunday worship service, which was full of joy and beautiful music. However, fresh in our minds that day was the death of a beloved member of our faith community, Bob Grant, on Good Friday. Later that week, another beloved member, Phil Keeley, died. Both memorial services will be held at Bethany. Phil’s will be this Sunday at 2 pm, and Bob’s on May 17. Our community mourns the loss of these two men as we continue to walk with Bev and Yvonne and their families, and surround them with love and support. It is a stark reminder of the cycle of life and death, and of the Easter season which is upon us.

This is the time of year when we see this cycle vividly all around us. New life. Hope.

My vacation last week was not what I had hoped for … which was supposed to be a trip to PEI to visit a good friend who has experienced tremendous loss over the past 6 months, after a devastating loss 18 months ago. It became very clear to me after the busyness of the Easter weekend that traveling with a bad knee that was only slightly beginning to feel better might not be a good idea. At least until I got in to see my trusted physiotherapist and caught up on my sleep. As the week progressed and my proposed trip slipped away, I whined and whinged for awhile, and then tried to make the best of things.

I read. (3 books) I knit. I listened to a podcast or two. I binged a few TV shows. I slept. A lot. I even sorted out a few piles of things (books, papers, clothes) that had been getting a bit unruly. Even got hopeful one day and dug out spring clothes and sandals from the back of the closet. I tried not to think of church and what I had left behind for a week (and what Louisa was dealing with at the office) … plumbing problems, deaths, anxiety about next steps in my ministry here … I was mildly successful at that. I did watch parts of the worship service last Sunday, and Tim Crooks’ reflection, which was inspirational.

One day I did allow myself to think about the worship service for May 4. In its wisdom, on a cold winter evening, the Worship Committee decided to celebrate Earth Day, which is April 22, and Camp Kidston Sunday on May 4. Rev. Katie Aven from Bedford United Church prepared a 22 minute video for churches to use on Camping Sunday, and I previewed it last week. Although we aren’t able to show it during worship, I would recommend it to you.

The video brought back so many memories … and also, dare I say, gave me hope? Hope for the future. For young people, for the world we live in. I remembered my own time spent at Kidston as a volunteer Chaplain. I remembered my own kids’ experience, and driving carloads of weeping kids home at the end of the week because the week had ended. I remembered sitting beside kids at dinner who had been to the bog that day and still had mud in their ears. And I remembered how terrified I was whenever they played their night games.

Please take the time to watch the video. It is such important ministry within the United Church of Canada. And like all ministries outside of a church building, sometimes it struggles for recognition and survival. On Sunday we will hear from two Bethany campers, Elizabeth Carter and Mason Bowers, and also have a written testimony from my daughter Alana Martin, who went to Camp Kidston every year since she was 5, became a CIT, and a counsellor, and now works with children, youth and young adults in the UCC.

I hope to see you Sunday!

here’s the link to the Kidston video.

https://vimeo.com/1073042846

Holy Saturday

The above image was created by Megan Burns Argabrite and appeared on the Sanctified Art Facebook page, with an invitation for anyone to use it. I love it as we draw our Lenten series to a close.

But, we have one more day of Holy Week to go.

A Facebook friend reposted this from American author and historian of Christianity Diana Butler Bass. It originally appeared on Bluesky:

“A corrumpt, authoritarian government seizes an innocent man, tortures and jails him on trumped-up charges that change during a manipulated legal process. The prisoner is left at the mercy of dehumanizing politicians and jailers to do with what they please.

Holy Week then. America now.”

Butler Bass is referring to the mistaken deportation of Kilmar Ábrego García from the US to El Salvador, and the Trump administration's refusal to have him returned despite a unanimous Supreme Court decision to do so.

Today is often called Holy Saturday … the day between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. We know Easter is coming but we aren’t quite there yet. Some traditions have vigils on this day. We are still sitting in shock, grief, and disbelief from the events of the week.

Fortunately, we know the end of the story. Spoiler alert: Death is not the end. Cruelty, oppression, and inhumanity did not win. And it will not win today.

Our Sanctified Art materials have provided us with A Poem For Holy Saturday by Avery Arden. If you didn’t receive one at the Good Friday service yesterday, here it is:

And if the waiting becomes unbearable, this might lighten your spirit. It is similar to the ones I posted last Christmas from a church in Australia. This one is from a church in Kentucky. They have taken a few liberties with the story … but I think they got the main points right. Jesus is risen. Go tell everyone.

(211) Easter According to Kids - YouTube

Happy Easter. See you tomorrow.

Musings about Jesus

I have had privilege of having many conversations about Jesus these past several weeks … with the youth group, the confirmation class, folks that came to the lunch and living word sessions this week, and in the weekly faith study. 

Yesterday, was Maundy Thursday, the day when many Christians around the world remember the night before Jesus died, when he washed his disciples feet and shared a last meal with them.

Yesterday this image appeared on the United Church of Canada website. You can read the story about how this picture came to be, and about the United Church members across the country who came together to recreate Da Vinci’s Last Supper here:

 A Place at The Table | The United Church of Canada

You can also find a link to a video about the project on youtube. “Through deep faith and a sense of belonging, we explore the fullness of humanity and the divine reflected in each person. Join us in this journey of vulnerability, curiosity, and authentic self-expression, as we celebrate inclusivity, diversity, and the joy of relationships formed in challenging times.”

 In my first conversations about Jesus with a group I usually start with either my Jesus ABCs poster, or my huge file of images of Jesus that I have collected over the years. I ask folks to choose an image and tell us why you chose it. Here are a couple of my favourites.

Laughing Jesus – which you can see and read about at

Who was Canadian behind iconic image of "Laughing Jesus?" | Vancouver Sun

Christ of the Breadlines

Fritz Eichenberg — Relief: A Journal of Art and Faith

The Crucified Woman statue at Emmanual College in Toronto.

Joan Wyatt: The Cruciform Woman Image Then and Now - The Educated Imagination

You can read lots about the story of the statue online, and I actually have a book that I have used as a faith study about her story. The statue depicts a naked female figure in a cruciform position. It was commissioned by some folks at Bloor Street United Church in Toronto to be at the back of the Sanctuary throughout Lent. As I heard Rev. Clifford Elliot tell the story many years ago, it was fine until they brought the statue to the front of the church on Good Friday. Then, to put it bluntly, all hell broke loose. He said he got calls from around the world, had many media interviews, and was eventually charged with heresy, and investigated by Presbytery. Eventually the statue found a new home at the University of Toronto.

Whenever I am in Toronto and near Emmanuel College, I make a point of walking by and taking a moment to reflect … on how she continues reach out and speak to the suffering of women in our communities, our country, and around the world.

an update ... and other random thoughts

Here’s an update from our house. Pat saw the ortho clinic first thing on Monday morning. He found out that it is a crack not a break, does not need surgery, and as long as he wears the boot he can even put weight on it. It should heal in a month.

 I, on the other hand, have experienced another flareup of my arthritic knee … so we are a fine pair hobbling around the house. At least I can drive, if I can get to the car. I am hoping that this only lasts a few days like the last time a couple of months ago … as far as I know I didn’t do anything strenuous to aggravate it … but I do know that other things like stress, lack of sleep and too much sugar can also lead to these things as well. Guilty as charged.

I find it hard to believe that we are approaching Holy Week already. Our worship themes during Lent have given us much to think about … from new ways of seeing old stories to challenging us to look for the presence of God in places where we might not ordinarily look.

The Sanctified Art Facebook page is a place where congregations around the world that are also using these worship materials share what they have been doing. A couple of weeks ago there was a full on Broadway number from Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, Florida, complete with costumes, about the parable of the fig tree.

 (172) One Year More - The Parable of the Fig Tree... in musical form! (no on-screen lyrics) - YouTube

This week, Sterling United Methodist Church in Sterling Virginia has put together a summary of all that we have talked about. I couldn’t have said it any better, so I thought I would share it even though the days and times of the gatherings next week at Bethany aren’t the same. It is a great review of our themes.

Holy Week at Sterling UMC

Please check out our website for our Holy Week events.

And finally, I wanted to share a resource I have recently found, called The Book of Belonging, Bible Stories for Kind and Contemplative Kids. (pictured at the top). You will find me reading from this book often over the next months. You know by now that I think a good children’s story works for folks of all ages. For all you parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, big brothers and sisters, and generally anyone who wants just an overall great biblical resource, here’s an introductory video of the book by the author. It’s 10 minutes … but well worth it if you are looking for a way to open up the stories of our faith.

(172) The Book of Belonging: Bible Stories for Kind… by Mariko Clark · Audiobook preview - YouTube

Zacchaeus, Shrodinger's Cat, the Big Bang Theory, and stupid falls

It’s been a busy week. Not just for me, but for many at Bethany. We have had a number of evening meetings this week, and I am not the only person, either on staff or the leadership team, who was present at most of them. Many folks have worked hard to get things ready for the AGM on Sunday after church.

It’s also been an exhausting week for those of us trying to keep up with the news. Between worrying about how those poor penguins in the South Pacific will be able to pay the new US tariffs, rage, and spitting our coffee out in disbelief, things just keep getting stranger and stranger south of the border and around the world.

And, personally, our household was turned upside down on Wednesday when Pat broke his leg. At first, he thought he had just sprained his ankle after a stumble going up the stairs. He actually went to work at 7:30 am yesterday (Thursday) … he is on the crew of 22 Minutes and worked all day, but by 5 pm decided he better have it looked at. He was home at 11 pm with a boot and a diagnosis of a broken bone, a prescription for crutches, and a promise that he would be called by the Ortho clinic within 7 days for a consult to determine if surgery would be necessary. (Note: he has since been called and is to show up at the clinic at 8:40 am on Monday).

Today has been filled with him clearing his work calendar, or at least exploring what he can and can’t do in the next 6 weeks as far as the commitments he has taken on. And, coming to terms with the nature of his injury. This is not the first time he has broken his leg. The other two times were hockey injuries, and one could even be called a noble injury because he said he was trying not to fall on the goalie. That was shortly after Alana was born, and resulted in him being in a cast to his hip for about four months.

This time, it was an inside “stupid fall” as he called it. Something I would do … indeed have done, a number of times. During our long marriage, I have sliced the back of my heel open, ruptured my Achilles tendon, broken my leg, and torn my rotator cuff. Those are just the big ones I remember. And they were all “stupid fall” injuries where I didn’t watch where I was going. The irony is not lost on me that he has spent the winter worrying about me falling (again) and he is the one that has the injury after a stupid fall. .

Anyway, we muddle along and are yet again humbled by and are grateful for Canadian health care. This week we look at the story of Zacchaeus. I wish I could promise you a spontaneous outburst of song during the worship service this Sunday … I was lucky enough to experience it twice this week … once with Ann in my office and once with several members of the faith study group on Wednesday night. “Zacchaeus was a wee little man …” Flash mob anyone?

It wasn’t one that I had in the children’s choir repertoire at Islington United Church in Toronto back in the 1960s. But it seems that it was a popular one around here.

It’s such a familiar story … the hated tax collector who climbed the tree to get a better look at Jesus, only to be invited to host Jesus for a meal. And then to be welcomed into the Kingdom of God.

Our words this week are righteousness and mercy. I keep returning to a sermon I preached on Zacchaeus a number of years ago when I first heard of Shrodinger’s Cat. Science fiction fans will know what I am talking about. It’s the belief or theory that there isn’t one universe, but hundreds or thousands of different universes all taking place at the same time. At the time, I showed a clip from The Big Bang Theory. There was a whole story line about Shrodinger’s Cat when Penny and Leonard got together. Below is a clip to get you thinking. And of course, there’s lots online about Shrodinger’s Cat. Stay tuned.

Zacchaeus was a wee little man,
And a wee little man was he.
He climbed up in a sycamore tree (pretend to climb a tree)
For the Lord he wanted to see.

And as the Savior passed that way
He looked up in the tree,
And he said, "Zacchaeus you come down, For I'm going to your house today!" (cup hands around mouth)
For I'm going to your house today! (clap to the beat)

Here's a Shrodinger’s Cat primer …

(131) The Big Bang Theory - Schrodinger's cat - YouTube

Bug Snugs

This is a bug snug.

More importantly, this is Bethany’s Bug Snug. Thanks to Dana for sending me a picture. It’s right beside the garden that Louisa and the Sunday School children have built. I had never heard of a bug snug before, but Louisa told me it’s for bugs to hunker down and spend the winter hibernating. I don’t think I knew that bugs hibernated. Being a non-bug person, I was just glad I didn’t see many bugs in the winter. Inside or outside.

I don’t think I ever wondered or thought about where actually the bugs might be. A quick google search will turn up all kinds of information about bug snugs, how to make them, and bugs hibernating.

This week we have been contemplating the words “rest” and “growth”, and the parable of the fig tree that still hadn’t produced fruit. I am pondering the times in my life when I have been forced to rest, perhaps on advice from a doctor or because of an injury, and how difficult it sometimes is to slow down.

One of the supplemental articles in the worship materials talked about something called The Nap Ministry, and the Nap Bishop. I was a bit curious. Turns out to be kind of a big deal. Almost a movement. Here’s an article about The Nap Ministry, and Tricia Hersey, its founder, and author of the New York Times bestseller, “Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto.”  

The Power of Naps

And you can listen to or read an interview with Tricia Hersey, The Nap Bishop, on CBC’s Tapestry here:

'The Nap Bishop' explains why rest is a form of radical resistance | CBC Radio

There are also lots Nap Ministry youtube videos and interviews, and you can visit About | The Nap Ministry

Who knew? I’m intrigued …

A few years ago I read the book Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May, after hearing her interviewed on Krista Tippet’s On Being podcast. That’s where I learned, among many other things, that knitting actually lowered one’s blood pressure (although I could be persuaded to argue that some of the complicated patterns I have tried recently have no doubt raised my blood pressure on occasion …).

I loved the book, and her extensive research and insights. It stressed the importance of slowing down, and learning how to value those times when we might seem unproductive. May says that … “wintering is a metaphor for those phases in our life when we feel frozen out or unable to make the next step, and that that can come at any time, in any season, in any weather, that it has nothing to do with the physical cold.”

In the podcast, Krista Tippet asks May to read an excerpt from her book:

“Plants and animals don’t fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening and attempt to carry on living the same lives they lived in the summer. They prepare. They adapt. They perform extraordinary acts of metamorphosis to get them through. Wintering is a time of withdrawing from the world, maximizing scant resources, carrying out acts of brutal efficiency and vanishing from sight; but that’s where the transformation occurs. Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.

“It’s a time for reflection and recuperation, for slow replenishment, for putting your house in order. Doing these deeply unfashionable things — slowing down, letting your spare time expand, getting enough sleep, resting — is a radical act now, but it’s essential.”

You can listen to the full On Being podcast at:

Katherine May — How ‘Wintering’ Replenishes | The On Being Project

Bug Snugs, The Nap Bishop and Wintering. Rest and Growth. It’s all part of the rhythm of life, the natural cycles of our lives.

May you find and welcome the rest you need these days.

Gleeful Escapism

Photograph: Erin Simkin/Netflix

Today’s question from the devotional cards is this:

What things do you need to feel nourished and ready for growth?

Many years ago I had a spiritual director that asked me to make a list of 20 things that I love to do, that feed my soul. And I couldn’t get to 20. I think I only got to about 8 or nine.

 Oh I could list 20 things that I was grateful for easily enough … but things that feed my soul? That was hard. I found the task challenging … and every time I have thought about that question since then, I still do.

 I think those two questions are similar. Whatever feeds our soul will nourish us and prepare us for the growth that inevitably comes, whether we like it or not, throughout our lives.

I think that her point was that I wasn’t spending enough time doing those things that feed my soul … which, when you think of it, when you are doing something that you love to do, like having a visit with someone just to have a visit, or going for walk in the woods, or by the lake, or taking the time to make someone else’s life a little easier to bear, I believe you are really putting yourself in the presence of the sacred. And I think putting ourselves in the presence of the sacred, which can take many forms, nourishes us and makes us ready for growth.

This is a round about way of telling you that Pat and I are really enjoying a new Netflix series called The Residence. It’s quite hilarious … it’s an eight part murder mystery set in the White House. The Guardian says it is “a joyful murder mystery (that) is eight hours of gorgeous, gleeful escapism.” I didn’t realize I needed a good belly laugh … but I have had a number of them since we started watching this. Highly recommended.

There’s nothing wrong with gleeful escapism these days I say – just to cleanse the palate from the firehose of foolishness that the rest of the news brings.

What things do you need to feel nourished and ready for growth?

Duncan's Tree

This Sunday we hear Jesus tell the parable of the fig tree that wasn’t bearing fruit, and explore the two concepts of rest and growth. The devotional question for Sunday is “Do you find yourself more in a season of rest, or growth, or both?”

This is the time of year when we start to anticipate the new growth appearing in our gardens. Many years ago a professor at a theological seminary in Costa Rica told a group of us that he had spent a year in Kingston, Ontario while on sabbatical, and that he absolutely loved Canada. He said that it was a gift to be in a climate where the seasons change so dramatically – to experience a climate where you could actually see the resurrection as it occurs in nature. He said it was a very real and tangible reminder of the biblical resurrection story. He said in his climate it’s hard to see the obvious cycle of death and rebirth as it occurs in nature.

Here is the story of Duncan’s Tree, pictured above.

One Sunday afternoon in the summer of 2020, Pat and I went for a drive to Ketch Harbour, a little village about 30 minutes outside of Halifax where my in-laws lived for many years. We drove by their old house, and at the end of the driveway was a tree, about 15 or 20 feet high (I don’t have a good sense of these things!), which was known in the family as Duncan’s Tree. Duncan is our younger son, who just turned 43 a few weeks ago.

Now this tree started as a tiny sapling that Duncan was given at school when he was about 8, and it was a Mother’s Day gift. I said to him, as tactfully as I could, that I did not feel equipped to plant and nurture this sapling, and besides, I didn’t know where in the world I could possibly plant it in our tiny yard. However, I suspected that his grandmother in Ketch Harbour would be happy to receive it, and would know exactly where to plant it, and how to tend to it. Which she did. She loved and nurtured that tree over many years.

That afternoon I took a picture and sent it to Duncan as none of us had seen it for years. The next thing I knew he had posted it on his facebook page, complete with fond memories of his grandmother taking him out to see it every time he came for a visit. He also told a funny story about her being mad at his grandfather for nearly running over the tree with his lawnmower because he didn’t see it.

His post generated a number of posts from his friends, who remembered well the little sapling they were given, and some even said they wanted to drive by where their little sapling was planted to see how it was doing.

My mother in law knew it would take a long time for that tree to grow … to stand on its own and be strong against lawnmowers and storms and animals … it was an act of faith and hope … and an invaluable lesson for a small boy to have faith that in time, the tree would grow big.

Hope to see you all on Sunday!

Update on Murphy ...

A short post today … we received this video from Alana yesterday, which I thought I would share. Murphy “graduated” from his round of chemotherapy treatments. Alana said “he is very high” … which accounts for his obvious confusion. But it does show the love that the staff all had for him. Matt and Alana will be glad to have a rest from the weekly drive (one and a half hours each way) and the several hours of waiting during the treatment … and the effects that it had on him for a day or two afterwards.

Here's hoping that’s the end of things … poor old Murph has had quite a journey these past seven months between surgeries and chemo. Thank goodness for pet insurance!

Feel free to join me tomorrow morning at 10:30 for a few minutes or longer to check in about your Lenten journey … Mary and Martha … or anything else that’s on your mind. The zoom link can be found on the website under “Ministries” and then “Lent 2025”

Friday I will post about this Sunday’s reading … the parable of the fig tree. And tell you all about Duncan’s tree!

Here’s a short video about parables from Amy Jill Levine to get you “primed.”

Amy Jill Levine Parables

The Saint and The Sister

What a wonderful Joy Lunch club on Wednesday, with music to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day provided by Shawn Whynott and Anthony Rissesco. As usual, the food and company were also great.

I was remembering, when Shawn was giving his excellent summary of the history of Saint Patrick’s Day, and some information about Saint Patrick, some of the information that I have learned over the years. Shawn said that Patrick is said to have “driven the snakes out of Ireland”, but added that many have pointed out that in fact, there were no snakes in Ireland. Afterwards I asked Shawn if he had seen the many memes that appear on social media this time of year, like this one:

What I have learned, was that the snakes were a derogatory term for Druids, and pagans in general. That’s what Saint Patrick drove out of Ireland.

I did a lot of research years ago into the struggle between the Celtic and the Roman Church in its early days. And, of course, the Roman church “won”. In John Philip Newell’s Listening for the Heartbeat of God, the author, a former Warden of Iona Abbey in Scotland, details that struggle, the conflict between two theologians, Pelagius and Augustine, and wonders how different the institution of the church might be if instead of one side exerting their will, beliefs and practices over the other, there had been more integration of the two.

Newell explains that the difference between the Celtic and Roman church can be seen in the depiction of daVinci’s Last Supper, where it is speculated that it is John the beloved disciple at Jesus’ immediate right, essentially listening for the heartbeat of God. In contrast, the Roman church is founded on Peter, seen to be the founder of the Roman Church.

Here is John Philip Newell explaining what it means to listen to the heartbeat of God in a short 5 minute video.

(2759) "Listening to the Heartbeat of Life" John Philip Newell, Heart Labyrinth, Ghost Ranch, New Mexico - YouTube

The discussion fits well with our theme “Everything in between” during this Lenten season, and also with this week’s story of Mary and Martha, found in Luke 10, and how we find “God in between” action and contemplation.

At this time of year I always remember fondly my father in law Frank Martin, who died in 2008. Frank was raised by his Irish speaking grandmother in Halifax when his mother, widowed with three young sons, had to work outside the home to support the family. He finally made it to Ireland once, when he went on a tour hosted by Tommy Makem. It was a lifelong dream of his, and the highlight was when he found his great-grandmother’s birth certificate in the parish records in the village of Lisdorgan.

Frank introduced me to Sister Fidelma. Sister Fidelma is the heroine of a series of mystery novels and short stories written by Peter Tremayne. Set in 7th Century Ireland, Fidelma is at the same time a lawyer, or dalaigh, who administers the ancient laws of Ireland, a member of a Celtic religious order, and sister to the High King. She is very often seconded to travel around the country, and sometimes beyond, to solve murders, usually in the company of her partner and eventual husband, Brother Eadulf, a Saxon.

I have learned a lot about ancient Ireland from reading the Sister Fidelma mysteries. The stories interweave historical information and political intrigue, issues of class and hierarchy, and offer insights into the struggles between the Celtic and Roman church at the time. For a few years I was hopelessly hooked on Sister Fidelma.

There are thirty six Sister Fidelma novels, and I think I have read around 27. I also discovered that there is an International Sister Fidelma Society, (http://www.sisterfidelma.com), with all kinds of fun facts, discussion groups, and information about the locations of some of the books. I imagine them all getting together, like at Star Trek conventions, in period costume, wild flowing red hair and long capes.

Sometimes I even imagine myself as Sister Fidelma ... riding around the countryside on horseback with long red hair and an enormous cape flying behind me, fighting for justice, challenging the hierarchy of the church in all its silliness. Very wise and insightful, yet sometimes hotheaded and quick to anger.  Uncovering the truth slowly and methodically.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day folks!

Profound hospitality

During the first week of Lent we have been exploring the story of the Good Samaritan in the Gospel of Luke, and in particular, the idea that it’s possible that we may be both neighbour and stranger at the same time.

The question on the devotional card for Wednesday in the first week of Lent asks:

“Have you ever received profound hospitality? How did it impact you?”

I am sure I have received profound hospitality many times in my life, but the example that immediately comes to mind is a trip to Guatemala in 2007. My colleague in ministry at St. John’s, Linda Yates and I co-led a youth trip, which was planned in consultation with facilitators from the Breaking the Silence Network in Nova Scotia and Guatemala.

The online Webster’s dictionary defines the word “hospitality” in this way:

1. a: given to generous and cordial reception of guests

b: promising or suggesting generous and cordial welcome

c: offering a pleasant or sustaining environment;

And then, quite a different definition, one that I had not considered before:
   2.  readily receptive; open to new ideas.

Our journaling question on our first night, after almost 12 hours of travel time, was … “How does it feel to be a stranger, knowing that over the next 10 days strangers will be showing you hospitality?”

I had shared with my fellow travelers months before that during our preparation sessions that when I went to Central America the first time, 10 years before that, someone had challenged me to metaphorically “empty my hands” … to let go of my assumptions, my preconceived notions, my ideas of how I can help.

It was suggested that if we carry all these things with us, then our arms are not able to accept the gifts that the people we are visiting have to give us.

We remembered that idea our first night, and hoped that our hands were empty enough to experience the hospitality that was about to be bestowed on us.

We asked ourselves, if hospitality is, as the definition suggests, also being readily receptive, being open to new ideas, would we be up to the challenge?

What would it mean for us to show hospitality to strangers in this setting?

One of the many memories from that trip was that everywhere we went they wanted to feed us. Despite the fact that they had very little, and what they put out for us to eat would have used up much of their own food for the rest of the family, we were always given something to eat. And we were expected to return that act of hospitality by sitting down with them and eating. Not in a hurry, not on a schedule, but to eat and visit.

I continue to reflect nearly 20 years later on the idea of both receiving and giving hospitality, being both stranger and neighbour.

Here are a couple of pictures from the trip, as well as the group photo at the top. And yes, that is Rod MacInnes, a parent of one of the youth, who brought his “parlour pipes” with him and entertained many of all ages during our trip.

Here’s the link to the Thursday morning check in … and again, sorry I didn’t do it correctly last week. Come for a short check in or a longer conversation. I’d love to hear about your Lenten journey. If for some reason it still doesn’t work … the link is also on our website under the “Lent 2025” category under “Ministries” … or send me an email and I will invite you from the Zoom meeting!

Topic: Lenten Journey Coffee Check-In

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In the ditch ...

Happy International Women’s Day!

Last night I had the wonderful opportunity to join my friend Robyn Brown-Hewitt at a wonderful event to celebrate International Women’s Day at the Sanctuary Arts Centre in Dartmouth. What a feast of sound and joy, celebrating the artists who performed at the original Lilith Fair festivals in the late 1990s.

I was so impressed with the venue, a refurbished Baptist church in Dartmouth, and the music. If you have the chance to attend an event in this wonderful space, don’t pass it up. It is very impressive. Pictures are below.

This Sunday we celebrate communion and look at the familiar story of the Good Samaritan. My sermon will be short, as we will have a time for all ages each Sunday in Lent, and it is our tradition to have communion on the first Sunday in Lent.

So I will post an “appendix” (or, more like a prequel really) to the sermon.

In their commentary on Luke, biblical scholars Amy-Jill Levine and Ben Witherington III, the authors change the title of the story to “the parable of the man who fell among the robbers.” They argue that Jesus’ audience and Luke’s readers would have primarily identified with the one in the ditch, waiting to be rescued. They challenge readers to imagine themselves as this person instead of seeing the story from the perspective of the Samaritan who offers the help. I will explore this theme more in Sunday’s reflection. Check out Amy-Jill’s brilliant 6 minute lecture on this parable at:

Dr. Amy-Jill Levine 6-minute lecture: Who Is My Enemy? The One Who May Save Me

Levine ends by saying: “You are not the Samaritan. You are the person in the ditch. Who can save you? If you can acknowledge that everyone has the possibility of doing that … if you can do that then the parable has worked on you.”

The challenge was not lost on me. I wrote briefly in earlier blog about a fall that I had in January one evening outside a church in Dartmouth where I was to attend a meeting. It wasn’t snowy or slippery … I just stumbled on the uneven sidewalk in the dark … and had some momentum going so couldn’t quite stop myself from going down.

I went down hard on my hands and knees … and am very lucky that I didn’t crack my head on the sidewalk, or the concrete wall that was beside the sidewalk. When I did topple over, my head, thankfully, hit the ground between the sidewalk and the wall, which was still soft.

The problem is … once I go down, I can’t get up. I can if there’s a table or chair I can use to steady myself and push up … but obviously that wasn’t anywhere near.

So I took some deep breaths and tried and tried, but just couldn’t do it. For about 10 minutes I sat on the pavement trying to make a plan, fighting back panic, and tears. It was a busy street. Cars kept driving by.

I finally got out my phone and emailed my friend in the meeting (“I’ve fallen outside and I can’t get up.”) Two of them came running out, and one, who I think was a physiotherapist, took charge and had me up in under a minute.

While we were walking into the building, my friend asked “were there lots of cars that drove by?” “Yup” I replied. “They probably just thought you were another drunk on the street” she said.

When I tell the story, which I have a number of times, I laugh. I mean, it was kind of funny. And although I was very sore for a few days, it was my dignity that was mostly wounded.  But this week I am challenged to think about that incident from the perspective of the person in the ditch. And how I might have felt had a stranger stopped to help me.

There’s lots more to unpack in this parable. Plus, in my sermon I will talk a bit about why Jesus taught in parables. It’s important to think about this as we will be looking at several parables during the season of Lent. Join us on Sunday … I don’t think I will have the answers, but I am sure I will have lots of questions!

Theme song

Friends … so sorry for messing up the link for yesterday morning’s check in. I seem to have cut and pasted the zoom invitation badly so it didn’t work. I will do better next week!

The folks at A Sanctified Art have just shared the theme song for the series, which is, I think hauntingly beautiful.

During a busy week, I felt quite grounded as I listened to it today. I seem to be a bit stuck on the challenges of this week … to more closely align my intentions with my actions.

I resist. Which usually means that I am meant to dig deeper.

The song is meant to feel like a breath prayer, meditation, or piece of sung liturgy. It can be sung by a solo voice with choir, or choir and congregation.

Paul Vasile, the composer, writes:

“When the invitation to write a Lenten theme song came in a season of political and personal turmoil, I found it difficult to imagine singing across significant differences with other faithful people. If I took that risk, what music or text could honor the complexity of our stories and experiences and not do more harm?

I leaned into my experiences of community singing over the past decade, trusting practices of song-sharing that are deeply relational and can foster spaces to know yourself, know others, and be known to them. 

What felt essential was a return to the breath which could anchor an invitation to listening and self-awareness. The phrase “breathe, listen, and notice” emerged as I imagined what might help us share our stories and experiences without judgment or assumptions. If all you do while you listen to the song is breathe, that is enough. I also hope that moments of call-and-echo singing can model the back and forth patterns of conversation, as well as offer opportunities for grace-filled learning.”

You can find the song here:

(Preview version) Breathe Listen and Notice—Lent theme song on Vimeo

Ash Wednesday 2025

During the six weeks in Lent we will look at a number of familiar stories in the Gospel of Luke that seem to have polar opposite choices or interpretations that point to “either this, or that.” The authors of the materials challenge us to be surprised and transformed by expanding our understanding of these stories to include nuance and complexity where before we may have only seen a binary option.

In Ash Wednesday’s reflection, the conversation begins with thinking about intention and action. It asks the question “As Lent begins, how will you align your intentions with your actions?”

I wasn’t familiar with Ash Wednesday services until I worked at Mount Saint Vincent University, a university founded by the Sisters of Charity. Ash Wednesday is relatively new in the United Church of Canada in that we have begun to “officially” observe it with a worship service only in the past several decades.

The first year I was at MSVU (1997), I got many phone calls asking if there was a service. And it was mostly the Roman Catholic faculty and students that were looking. After doing some research between year 1 and year 2, and finding out that it didn’t have to be a priest that administered the ashes, I began to offer a service in Year 2, and it was one of the most well attended services I did all year.

It has been a learning curve for me over the years to understand what exactly Ash Wednesday means to me. Why do we walk around with crosses on our hands or heads, when the reading from Matthew that is often read during Ash Wednesday services says that’s the last thing we should be doing?

It says, in the 6th chapter of Matthew: “So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you: this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the admiration of others. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward... And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them. When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to  let others know they are fasting.”

This image above is from the Sanctified Art materials from several years ago, Full to the Brim. I was so inspired by the image at the time, and with the artists’ discussion about coming from stardust, that I purchased the rights to share it digitally this year, along with the artist’s statement. Every Ash Wednesday I remember this image, and I somehow find it comforting.

Lisle Gwynn Garrity, the artist, writes: “Many of us begin Lent with ashen marks smudged against our foreheads, the oil glistening on our skin throughout the rest of the day. Itʼs a mark that is holy because it tells the truth: we are formed from the dust, and to dust we shall one day return. We are not immortal. Death will one day find us all. …

… But the cross on my forehead only tells me part of the story. The empty tomb tells me a fuller, more expansive truth: death will not have the last word. There is more. God is more.

This expansive truth requires more of us. It invites us to abandon empty or showy practices of faith, and instead, draw inward to open ourselves to a deeper journey of transformation. It requires me to believe that I am truly worthy of love, belonging, and grace. It requires me to believe others are also.

… What if, instead of ashes, gold gleamed on our foreheads? What if, alongside the certainty of death, we are also reminded of Godʼs expansive grace? What if on this day we said to one another, ‘From stardust you have come, and to stardust you shall one day return.’”

How do you respond to the image? Or to the artist’s statement? What do you hope from your Lenten journey this year?

In the commentary for Ash Wednesday, Dr. Mindy McGarrah Sharp reflects on the tension between intentions and actions. Sometimes, we just don’t feel ready for whatever is to come. We haven’t prepared enough. Dr. Sharp asks “What if listening is a practice on the move, a learning as we go, a birth crowning at the gravesides of yesterday? This is the day. Lent is here. Are you ready?”

How will you align your intentions with your actions?

Want to check in about your Lenten journey, or anything that is bubbling up after Sunday worship or your mid week reading? Join the Wednesday night Faith Study (in person or on zoom) starting next Wednesday March 12 at 7 pm. Call the office to sign up, or there is a sheet on the bulletin board as you go into the sanctuary from the Clinton Street parking lot.

Or, (and!), join me for a zoom check-in coffee break on Thursday mornings at 10:30. Stay for 15 minutes or 45. I’d love to hear about how your Lenten journey is unfolding. Here’s the zoom link for Thursday mornings.

Topic: Lenten Journey Thursday Check-In

Time: Mar 6, 2025 10:30 AM Atlantic Time (Canada)

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Lent 2025

My spouse used to say, many years ago, that he was going to give up scotch mints for Lent. I couldn’t remember ever having seen him eat a scotch mint.

It was a Catholic joke I think.

Years ago, when I was caught up between 3 jobs and the busyness of the season I used to say that I gave up all my spiritual practices for Lent. Giving something up for Lent does not have a long history in the United Church tradition.

But I have always been surprised at how many folks still do give something up for Lent. It’s not a bad practice at the heart of its intention, but it has been abused over the years. The 2000 movie Chocolat with Alfred Molina, Judy Dench, Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, based on the 1999 novel Chocolat by the English author Joanne Harris, is a great commentary on the potential for meaningless sacrifice, even abuse, that the practice can invite. For a number of years we did a Lenten study based on that movie and an accompanying resource and folks loved the opportunity to explore the themes in the movie, which folks seemed to resonate with.

In the bulletin last week we included an insert Dana and I created that proposes alternatives for fasting – fasting from self-criticism, fasting from negative feelings, fasting from judgement ….. some suggestions focus on the taking up of things – a spiritual practice, buying only fair trade coffee or chocolate, or taking up a special daily contribution to a charity. There are many possibilities out there.

Some of you will have the Lenten Devotional from A Sanctified Art that we will be referring to throughout the worship services over the next 6 weeks. We will also be using it in the Wednesday evening Faith Study starting on March 12. If you would like a copy, which is available either in hard copy/paper from the office, or digitally, give the office a call.

The theme chosen for this year’s Lenten resource from A Sanctified Art is Everything in between – meeting God in the extremes. In the booklet you will find artwork, poetry, theological reflection and questions to ponder each week.

I will probably post on the blog a few times a week during Lent. My hope is to get a conversation going – whether it is in the Wednesday evening Faith Study starting on March 12, (in person or zoom), or the Thursday morning weekly check ins on zoom.  Feel free to attend one, or both. I will circulate the zoom link tomorrow.

Dana has also created a page on the website which will include reflection questions and comments from the Sanctified Art materials.

Tomorrow I will post something about Ash Wednesday, and tell a few stories from my own experiences.

What are your Lenten memories and traditions?

Some random thoughts from a week "away" ...

I have managed to MOSTLY stay off the computer, and emails, and the phone, this week. True confession, I did sneak a peek at the Lenten materials yesterday and watched the preparation webinar. I’m glad I did. I feel almost prepared for the next 6 weeks.

Here’s a partial list of my “accomplishments” this week …

Finally got to a physiotherapy appointment and didn’t have to hang my head in shame for not doing the exercises. And my knee actually feels a bit stronger and less painful. Also got to aquacise. As my pool companion has been known to say, “I am feeling virtuous!”

Listened to a few podcasts, which I loved. Why don’t I do this more often? I started working backwards through Krista Tippett’s On Being podcasts. If you haven’t listened, give it a try. On Being is (from the website) …

.. “a conversation that has been building for over two decades with wise and graceful lives — across spiritual inquiry and science, social healing and the arts. You likely know us through … our Peabody award-winning show that began on public radio — now podcasting special seasons. We can be found in ears, and in conversations that matter, around the world. We are animated by humanity’s ancient questions, newly alive in this century: What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other?”

Home | The On Being Project

Tippett interviews poets, scientists, artists, humanitarians, social activists … it’s a feast of information and hope. This week I listened to interviews with Joan Baez (it was wonderful!) and author and visionary Adrienne Maree Brown, where I learned about what mushrooms can teach us about compost and new life.

A closely associated podcast you can find on the same website is Poetry Unbound, with Padraig O’Tuama, former Director of the Corrymeela Centre. Poetry Unbound is a … “Short and unhurried, … immersive exploration of a single poem … Pádraig Ó Tuama greets you at the doorways of brilliant poems and walks you through — each one has wisdom to offer and questions to ask you”.

 And, from one extreme to the other … I finished my Chief Bruno mystery, and started the latest in a wonderful series I started last year … the Parker and Pentecost series by Stephen Spotswood. Set in the 1940s New York City, it features a scrappy circus runaway with knife throwing skills, Willow “Will” Parker, and unorthodox private investigator Lillian Pentecost, whose multiple sclerosis prevents her from keeping up with her old case load alone. There are five books so far in the series and I have loved them all. Pure escapism. Can’t wait for the TV series or movie.

And, I think I broke the back of my knitting project (while listening to podcasts) … which I have been at since last summer. Usually I knit to relax but this pattern I chose is ultra complicated and up until this week I could only do a few rows at a time before I would put it down in frustration. I have ripped it out and started over several times now (which I have come to view as a spiritual practice itself!) … but this week … I think I got it! It will still probably take me a few months to finish … but at least it’s not causing me grief every time I pick it up. My great aunt Nina, who taught me how to knit when I was a kid, would be proud.

I also managed to get through a few of the piles of papers in the spare room, and clear a bit of space in the basement. And I had several visits with friends over coffee or lunch. So it’s been a good week.

And yes, I will be watching the Oscars this Sunday night … even the red carpet before the show. There are still a couple of the “big” movies I haven’t seen … don’t think I will get to them before Sunday … but I’ll be people watching along with millions of others.

I will probably post a bit more often during Lent … there are some great resources and reflection questions in the social media materials and the journals, so stay tuned next week as Lent begins!

Bread and Roses

As promised in my sermon today … here are a few links for you to check out.

Here’s the read aloud for Maybe Something Beautiful. The book is based on the true story of the Urban Art Trail in San Diego, California. The illustrator of this book, Rafael Lopez and his wife Candice brought hope, beauty and a strengthened sense of community to the East Village by turning the dark alleys into art canvasses.

(2652) Maybe Something BEAUTIFUL - YouTube

And, Bread and Roses with Joan Baez and her sister Mimi Farina.

Joan Baez-Bread and roses

Here is the one from the 2024 movie Pride, which is a great (93% on rotten tomatoes!) British historical comedy drama. Based on a true story, the film depicts a group of lesbian and gay activists who raised money to help the British miners’ strike in 1984. It is spine tingling … I challenge you not to sing along!!!

Bread and roses lyric video (version from the film Pride)

And speaking of bread and roses … I will be taking a few days off this week. Over the past six months I have built up some extra hours over what I am supposed to be working (30 hours per week) and I find I need a bit of a “reset” before Lent starts …

So I will be catching up on podcasts, knitting projects, reading (not theology or biblical commentaries) and yes … no doubt watching a few movies. And, tending to some neglected physio exercises and household organizational tasks that I seem to have totally abandoned over the past few months. Those who email me will find a message saying I am out of reach until next Sunday March 2. However, Dana and Ann know how to reach me if there is a pastoral emergency, where I will no doubt be found under a large pile of stuff in the basement.

I may or may not come out from under one of those piles to write a blog on Friday. We’ll see how the week goes. I will be at worship on March 2, when we will celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the UCW with a special worship service.

until then, bread and roses.