Reposted from April 21/26

Paradox

I don’t have much in me this week to write about. I have been careening from one event and meeting to another without much time to think in between.

 I thought things might calm down a bit after Easter … but it actually seems that things are even busier as things that were bumped during Lent have risen to the top.

 But … that’s the nature of this faith community. It is a busy place. And, even though it can be exhausting, it is also energizing. It is a paradox. I am at the same time exhausted and energized.

 I am reading Brene Brown’s latest book Strong Ground with several clergy friends these past few months. (https://brenebrown.com/book/strong-ground/ )

 Her chapter on paradox was particularly relevant for me at this time, and I have spent a lot of time thinking about it this week. She explains it in this video, link is below. If you have 13 minutes, it is well worth a watch … Brown explains the basic premise of her latest book, (subtitled The Lessons of Daring Leadership, the Tenacity of Paradox and the Wisdom of the Human Spirit) and talks about paradox … the skill of holding seemingly contradictory ideas at the same time.

https://youtu.be/5ZcHQUH32hg?si=mIDlf1chVfKyeL7I

In the mean time … I am trying to hold the anxiety that some members have openly expressed in the past few weeks about our finances, and the need to “do something” and make a plan to address this, while I am also energized by some of the activities going on in the community, represented by a few pictures that Dana has posted on social media in the past few months.

I see the Spirit moving so clearly in these moments. And today, I am, in addition to preparing for the morning worship service tomorrow, also preparing for hosting an HRM youth event for upwards of 45 youth and their leaders who will gather at Bethany tomorrow evening.

Last thoughts (reposted from June/26)

Last thoughts …

From my first week at Bethany I knew I wouldn’t be able to continue my predecessor’s practice of a daily blog. Perhaps I can keep up with a weekly blog, I thought. I did a blog, sometimes even a few times a week, when I was in Corrymeela … but that was only for three months. And whenever I traveled for 10 day trips after that.

There have been a number of times over the past two years when I have got to Friday and thought “what in the world can I write about this week? … I’ve got nothing.” And that’s when I turn to my colleagues (mostly Dana) for wisdom and a suggestion is made.

Sometimes I know at the beginning of the week what I want to write about. It may be about the biblical theme that week, an article that I have read that I want to share, something personal going on in my life, a movie I have seen or a book I have read …

Those times are a gift. They make my Friday mornings a breeze as once I sit down to write the words flow.

Other times I get to Friday … and I’ve got nothing.

Like today. I had a few ideas for today, but they all kind of fizzled. They had to do with gratitude, awe, mystery, and faith. I scoured our website and my phone for pictures to remind me of all the memories of the past two years. I thought I had a clever idea about using the picture of my three Jesus-es (above) on the mantle in my office having a conversation about their experiences observing me over the past 2 years …

Bobblehead Jesus – about the playfulness, the laughter, the innovation and surprises.

Jesus with glowy hands and the tiny loaf and fish – to remind me of all the God moments and miracles I have experienced here as your spiritual leader.

Jesus that glides and blesses – my first Jesus Action Figure – to remind me of times of change and challenge. Twenty five years ago Jennifer Watts (good friend, chair of Christian Development at St. John’s, and staff person at Tatamagouche Centre), and I did a workshop at a national UCC conference in Waterloo called “Renovations”. The workshop was about the church and popular culture, and we wrote a dialogue between our two Jesus Action Figures as a springboard for conversation. The conference, as the title might suggest, was about the changing church. I have been talking about this stuff for a long time it would seem.

Turns out I didn't have as many ideas as I thought … I got a bit stuck.

I may or may not bring these items as props on Sunday … along with the new guy … the little pocket Jesus that Rhonda Schofield put in their midst before our service on Good Friday. Dana has a box of these guys in her office – some folks already have one (like the folks in the faith study) because “everybody needs a little Jesus.”

In the end, I have said all there is to say. On April 11, in my reflection about The Upending of Wendall Forbes, I said why I felt it necessary to leave full time work at this time. It is 90% health (both mental and physical) related. I need a reset.

Over the next couple of months you will find me catching up on my favourite mystery series, knitting, getting back to aquacise classes, and hopefully re-introducing myself to the physiotherapy exercises I am supposed to be doing. We are going to Ontario for a couple of weeks in August, primarily to see Bonnie Raitt perform in Hamilton … as bonus moments we will dog sit Murphy for a weekend, and maybe catch a Jays game (the jury is still out on that one.)

Below is picture from my covenanting service in October 2024. It seems like a moment ago. I am filled with awe and gratitude at the opportunity to have been among you these past two years. Plus, a picture I found that I created from my jars of beach glass during Covid times … clearly I had too much time on my hands … but it does represent a calmer state of mind than I have right now that I aspire to …

Many blessings as you continue your journey. You have been a blessing to me.

Martha

Clusters

I told Dana Friday morning that I couldn’t think of anything to write about in my blog. All morning (at least up until that point) I had been thinking, pessimistically, “I’ve got nothing.”

Dana said … “write about Alana’s visit”.

Nepotism alert. My daughter, Alana Martin, is coming to Bethany to do a Regional Workshop on Children’s Spirituality, to facilitate an evening with our young adults, and will preach on Sunday morning.

“Well”, I thought, “that’s not a bad idea”.

Often I get ideas for my blog from looking at old pictures of my kids. They have always been my inspiration for writing. I found one that spoke to me. I texted Alana to see if it was ok to share a picture from her childhood. She said “ha ha ha I don’t mind. What does it have to do with me coming next week? (insert emoji here) … or is this a proud mother kind of thing?”

Without even thinking I responded “Exactly. Who knows what future leaders lurk in the little bodies of our children and youth?”

This was the picture that spoke to me … I said to her “Looks like you were born to lead.”

We were on a boat in Ketch Harbour, where her grandparents lived. She certainly looks like she is holding court … or perhaps trying to distract me from my tendency to be seasick every time I get on the water. It even looks like she has liturgical garb on.

Alana has worked for the GO Project for over 15 years. The GO Project is a UCC National Program that provides resources, curriculum, camp experiences, leadership training, and support to congregations for Children, Youth and Young Adults. She began as one of the young adult leaders in the summer program, became a program leader, and for the last 5 years has been the Minister to the GO Project. The program has changed tremendously since it began nearly 20 years ago as an intensive 10 day summer program in several places across Canada.

To be clear, I was involved in supporting the GO Project summer camp experiences here in Halifax long before Alana got involved. As I like to remind her sometimes. I support the program because I have seen the difference it makes in the lives of young people, and in the lives of congregations.

One of the four priorities that I was tasked with when my position was extended last May was to “explore ways of reaching out to younger generations.” Well, I couldn’t imagine a better way of figuring out how to do that than by contacting the GO Project to see what was going on out there.

It turns out that last summer Alana had hired Bethany’s own Kyla Mills to help her conduct research on the evolution and present state of Children’s Ministry in the UCC. Louisa, Ann, Dana and I talked and decided to spend some time with Alana in conversation last fall, and were so fascinated by some of the research she and Kyla did that we asked her to come for a weekend in the winter so we could take a deeper dive.

The workshop on Saturday morning is not only for those working directly with our young people. It is also to give leaders at Bethany (and any other congregations in the area), parents, and any interested in this topic, some ideas about how things have changed over many decades, and how a faith community can support a culture of welcome, nurture, and relationship building across generations. And that’s the responsibility of everyone in the faith community.

There are other things on the go as well.

Ann, Louisa and I attended a webinar this week about “Working with Gen Z´… those young people born between 1997-2012. We had some illuminating and insightful conversations which we will be eager to share and put into practice. And, we recognized that we have some serious adapting to do in order to not only mentor this generation but also to make the space for them to offer their many gifts to the community on their terms. We also need to recognize and make space for the concerns and passions about the world that this generation embodies.

Dana took several of our youth to Bedford United Church last Sunday night for a monthly United Church gathering called “What’s the Point? HRM Youth Cluster”. Apparently all had a wonderful time and they look forward to the next one. Pictures below.

The idea of “clusters” is one that was imagined when the UCC restructured it’s governance and organizational structure in 2019. The idea is that clusters of UCC folk in different congregations, would gather to share ideas, cooperate and work together on specific projects or topics, recognizing that all communities of faith are experiencing dwindling resources to do those things on their own.

Just in the past year Bethany has been part of a cluster of North End United churches (Hillside, Hope and St. John’s along with Bethany) to offer joint services and programs. Bethany hosted the 100th Anniversary service last June, and Hilliside hosted a Blue Christmas service. Plans are under way for joint Lenten services (Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday) and also some special events and programs. Next Sunday St. John’s hosts a special event with Dr. Henry Bishop in honour of Black History Month, and on Feb. 7 Bethany will host a workshop with the GO Project.

Dana is part of a cluster of staff in the Region called the Administry Group. We are also part of an Affirming Ministry Cluster in HRM.

The idea of clusters is long overdue. Those attending from Bethany are finding both inspiration and support as we share stories and imagine what can be done together.

Well, I guess I had some things to say after all.

And yes, I will own the nepotism and pride when we welcome Alana to our community Feb. 6-8. She used to get mildly frustrated when she started working in the national structures that many folks would ask her “are you Martha Martin’s daughter?” That’s totally flipped in the past 5 years or so … now … more often than not, folks ask me “Are you Alana Martin’s mother?” I don’t mind. Another proud mother moment.

Upside down Jesus

I was reviewing my blog from a year ago, and remembering how wonderful it was when you began to send me your pictures of your nativity scenes, with stories.

At the risk of repeating myself, I am happy to receive any pictures of your nativity scenes that you want to send me and I will post them here in the next 2 weeks for everyone to enjoy. I also have a special request for those of you that made the banners at last Friday’s wonderful “Olde Fashioned Christmas”. At the end of this I will post a few pictures that Dana took of the banners being made. We would love to see the finished products in your homes … with all the embellishments … and perhaps even you, in the picture! Please send them along for all to see.

My collection of nativity scenes, which I put on our mantle, comes from different parts of the world, and they are contextual to the culture. Below is one I found in a little artists’ shop in Washington, DC. I think it’s from Peru. It’s called Hammock Nativity. It is one of my favourites.

I was remembering that one year, as I took a picture of it to be included in the power point in the worship service, I realized that Jesus had been hanging upside down since the beginning of Advent. I was shocked that I hadn’t noticed it until then. I have shown him upside down, and then how he should be.

Poor Jesus … looking at the floor all that time instead of into the loving eyes of all who welcomed him into the world.

Feels like a fitting metaphor for Advent sometimes … our Stewardship coach at our last meeting in the week leading up to Advent 1 talked about “Madvent” … which we all related to. Yes, it is a blessed time.

But the reality for some of us is that we have often felt that we have been turned upside down, often focussed on only the view we can see. It takes intentionality to turn us right side up so we can see the miracles and love all around us.

This week we look at Mary’s visit from the angel Gabriel. As the poet Jan Richardson says, who wrote a poem from the angel Gabriel’s perspective (who was very much afraid of what he had to announce to Mary!) it was the marking of “… her last ordinary moment, knowing that the next step would cleave her life: that this day would slice her story in two, dividing all the days before from all the ones to come.”

In other words, turn her life upside down.

We are enjoying your pictures, which are very much helping me to stop and see the world around me in these “Madvent” days. Please keep them coming. This week’s words are:

         Be

         Yes

         Courage

         Magnify

         Awaken

         Vulnerability

         Love

Advent 1

At the beginning of Advent 2019, I looked around my tiny little apartment at Broadview and Danforth in Toronto and wondered how to make it look a bit more festive. I had been scrolling through Facebook and was feeling a bit left out, and perhaps nostalgic, after seeing post after post of beautifully decorated homes. I looked through the rather scant collection in the small box of Christmas decorations that I had brought with me from Halifax, looked through the kitchen drawer for a sticky wall hanger for the wall, and did the best I could.

I then posted this picture on FB with the caption “Phew! Got the tree up.”

I had lots of “likes” … and even a few comments: “Looks great! Can you come and put mine up too?” and “Whew! You must be beat!”

The weeks leading up to Christmas are always a whirlwind for anyone working in the church. That Christmas, Pat actually came to Toronto for Christmas to join Alana and I, as did Duncan. After the Christmas Eve service at the church, we all went back to my apartment for a sleepover … (can’t remember who got the couch, or who got the air mattress on the floor) … and had a lovely Christmas morning together. Later that day we all crowded into Alana’s basement apartment for a Christmas dinner that Alana had cooked. The day was lovely.

Some of my fondest Christmas memories are those when something unexpected happened … or things didn’t go quite as planned. Like the Christmas spent in London, England, with my cousin and a family that had “adopted” us for 8 months when I was 20 years old. Or, the Christmas 12 years ago when I had surgery two weeks before Christmas and couldn’t do a thing. It was humbling to allow myself to be cared for and rest. Two of my three kids were born in November, which always added to the chaos of the season as we attempted to navigate things with a newborn.

Sometimes it takes an outside force to shake things up a bit to make you stop and notice what’s going on around you. And force you to think outside the box. Sometimes, you even have to make stuff up … create new traditions with what you have on hand.

This Sunday we begin Advent. And yes … the block nativity figures will be on hand during the all ages time. It has brought me great joy to have had so many folks ask me “will the nativity figures be making an appearance again this year?”

The materials we are using this year from Sanctified Art are full of artwork, poetry, and reflections around the theme “What do you fear?”

Here are some words of introduction from the materials:

“Luke’s Gospel begins the story of Jesus with this opening line: “In the time of Herod…” This detail may seem minor to modern readers, however, it reveals layers of information about the fearful world Jesus entered, one filled with rampant oppression, economic disparity, uncertainty, and instability. A world not so unlike our own. And yet, throughout the stories of Christ’s birth, the whispers of angels deliver a surprising message: “Do not fear.” In our own time, we might ask: is it even possible to be fearless in a fearful world? When Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the magi are each called into God’s redemptive story, they do not deny their fears—they move through them. They ask questions, hold fast to courage, trust in good news, and say, “Here I am, Lord.” When we find ourselves in fearful times, can we acknowledge our fears while also insisting on hope?”

I love that question … Is it even possible to be fearless in a fearful world? When I reflect on my own experiences I cited above (in Toronto, in London, and in Halifax) … in each of those circumstances I entered into them with great fear and trepidation … going on a European adventure with 3 friends with a one way ticket and absolutely no concrete plans … having fairly major surgery … and moving to Toronto for an unknown length of time … even though I was fearful I was somehow able to face and move through the fear. And each one led me to a holy and sacred time.

On the Sanctified Art Facebook page a ministry leader posted her “photo a day challenge” to her community. She invited folks to send her photos that illustrated a posted word each day. I have heard of this before … and always hoped for an opportunity to try it out.

So, here’s your chance. You all did so well posting your nativity scenes last year (along with wonderful stories) … I am inviting you to send me your photos (and a story if you want to share …) that illustrate any of the words for the week. Here is the calendar and list of words for the four weeks:

I will post the pictures on my blog … perhaps even more than once a week!

This week’s words are:

         Longing

         Break in

         Fear

         Possibility

         Presence

         Marvel

So, email me your pictures folks … and a story if you wish.

If I had to pick a word for my Christmas tree picture … perhaps it would be “possibility” … or maybe even “break in” … it represents the possibility of doing things differently … still finding God in the season and opening myself to seeing and experiencing the God of hope, peace, love and joy in new and and different ways.

Hope to see you on Sunday! And also … for those of you who watch us live … please identify yourself in the chat. Steve Morley is now monitoring the live chat and we would love to know who else is joining us. Feel free to offer comments or ask questions during the service. We may not get to them while we are live … but know that we will get back to you!

 Blessings!

Highlights of General Council

The above pictures are of the most recent General Council, a picture of the whole group (reminiscent of the photo of the first meeting of the United Church of Canada on June 8, 1925), and some of the youth and young adults at General Council in Calgary from August 7-11. From reading summaries and articles in Broadview magazine and on the United Church website, there was much to celebrate for the commissioners, and also much to challenge them. T

General Council ended on Monday evening with the installation of the Moderator, Rev. Kimberly Heath.

You can read an interview with her at:

New United Church Moderator Kimberly Heath on her vision for the denomination | Broadview Magazine

In particular, this section speaks to me at this time:

Do you think the church needs to change how it’s operating to become more aligned with what God has planned?

KH: “I think that the structure of the church has to follow where the Spirit is moving and not the other way around. How you do that is another story. I don’t have strong answers on particular structural things that need to change, but somehow, we need to change so that we can follow the Spirit. And seeing yesterday in the court, we had a big youth presentation, and they want to be present. They want their voices heard. And so again, it’s like the Spirit is moving in that. How do we make the structure work so that they can have a stronger voice in our church? Same with les ministères en français, and there is life in the Francophone church community. And so again, how do we say, okay, there’s the spirit, there’s the life. Let’s empower and support it.”

The Moderator is talking about the presentation on Saturday evening by youth and young adults. You can read more about it here:

GC45: Youth call out church tokenism. More on the new moderator.

Or, you can watch the whole video starting at around the 8 minute mark, which includes an apology from the Chair of the Business Committee for the experience of youth being marginalized or not listened to during the discussions over the past several days. The testimonies from the youth are very powerful.

GC45 livestream - August 9 6:30pm ET

I will talk more about this on Sunday, when we look at the idea of multiculturalism when it comes to families. And I will explore the many ways that multiculturalism presents itself, including between generations, families of origins and regions of the country.

Here is a summary of General Council on the UCC website:

The United Church Issues Bold, Hopeful Call for Action on Peace and Justice | The United Church of Canada

 Have a great weekend folks! See you … either in person or virtually on Sunday.

Children in our midst ...

I spoke a couple of weeks ago about growing up going to the United Church with my dad. Once I was confirmed around the usual age, I was “voluntold” (that’s how I remember it anyway) that I would be teaching Sunday School. One Sunday I found myself teaching a lesson which I found extremely problematic. I don’t think I quite understood why, but I just did not understand what I was teaching, and I didn’t believe in some of the things that it was saying about God.

I went to the minister with my questions - a well known and very revered Senior Minister - and whatever transpired, I guess it just didn’t satisfy me, because shortly afterwards I resigned from teaching Sunday School, and then left the church for almost 20 years.

I sometimes wonder what might have happened if the questions of my heart had been heard that day. What difference might it have made in my life?

I have often also wondered how it is that once I returned to the church as a young mother, I spent much of my ministry, both paid and volunteer, supporting children, youth and young adults answer the same kinds of questions I had at their age.

I suspect it’s no accident.

Elizabeth O’Connor, one of the founders of the Church of the Savior in Washington, DC, in her book Cry Pain, Cry Hope, in the chapter “On Hearing Call”, says: “…We sometimes teach the things we need to learn. Or is it that we heal others in the way we either need to be healed, or have been healed? …  When we are able to keep company with our own fears and sorrows, we are shown the way to go; our own parched lives are watered and the earth becomes a greener place.”[1]

When I read this, many years ago, it helped me understand why I had become a teacher and educator and an advocate of children and youth when my own experiences of the early church, and much of my formal education, had been pretty grim.

This Sunday we celebrate the children, youth and young adults in our Sunday School. And all the gifts that they bring to us. Louisa will lead the service and has graciously given me a few minutes to offer a very brief reflection. It has led me down memory lane as I remember all the children that have ministered to me over the years.

It’s been a difficult week for me for a number of reasons, so I don’t have much else to say. So I thought I would just offer up a few pictures of some of the young people that I have had the great blessing and privilege to encounter during my years in ministry. With much gratitude I share them with you.

first, my own kids, the biggest teachers of them all …

and some random children’s ministry, confirmation, baptism, and campus ministry pics from over the years

[1] Elizabeth O’Connor, Cry Pain, Cry Hope

Picnic and prayer

We had a lively discussion last Tuesday at Picnic and Prayer about the origins of The United Church of Canada. We were blessed that Lori Cormier brought a number of folks from Melville Heights to join us.

First, we watched a short video of the history of the Christian Church, just to put it all in context. The video came from the GO Project Confirmation curriculum, and is very informative (and only about 7 minutes for 2,000 years of history!) for youth and adults.

Questions coming out of the conversation were about the conflict between the Orthodox and the Latin churches, and around the history of the Protestant movement, or what we often call The Reformation, which happened in the 16th Century. Many folks hadn’t made the connection between the word “protest” and Protestant … realizing that those of us who are Protestants have our spiritual roots in fact protesting the status quo.

The video did a great job of pointing out some of the challenging parts of Christian history, such as war, slavery and colonialism, but also highlighted some of the parts to celebrate – the church’s influence on the civil rights movement, offering sanctuary and safety to refugees, outreach ministry, and support to LGBTQIA+ community.

The second video recounted the 100 years of history of the United Church of Canada. At Bethany we will celebrate this anniversary with a special worship service with two other congregations (St. John’s and Hope) on June 8th at 3 pm. There were lots of questions after watching this video … such as …

Why does the United Church only have two sacraments?

What is going on with young people (and for some of us, that may include everyone that is under 50!) in the United Church of Canada … children, youth, young adults, families of all shapes and sizes, the “sandwich generation” (those taking care of aging parents and also children) …

Why are some of the more evangelical and conservative churches full of younger generations? (I have many ideas about that and will explore that perhaps in a future blog …)

And some wanting more information about reconciliation with indigenous peoples

These are all great questions …

This week we will take a closer look at the United Church Crest – it’s history, all the symbolism it contains, and how it has changed and evolved since its creation in 1944.

In week three we will look at our Statements of Faith – did you know we have 4? The Articles of Faith from 1925, the 1940 Statement of Faith, A New Creed in 1968 and a Song of Faith from 2006. All passed by General Councils, and all responding to changing contexts, and all “are recognized as doctrine, subordinate to the primacy of scripture.” (from the UCC website)

Please feel free to join us this Tuesday at noon as we continue to celebrate 100 years of the United Church of Canada.

In the meantime, you might want to explore the latest youtube videos from the United Church of Canada on its youtube channel, including the latest video from the Moderator, Mission and Service stories, and webinars at:

The United Church of Canada - YouTube

Here is the latest message from the Moderator about diversity, equity and inclusion, and why it is important in the United Church of Canada.

A Place at the Table: An Invitation to Belong - YouTube

And, here’s the Moderator’s Message about celebrating our 100th Anniversary

Commemorating 100 Years of Faith and Community

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.

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.

even more stories and scenes ...

December 20, 2024

I have loved seeing your nativity scenes, and hearing their stories. It reminds me how important our traditions are, and how they get passed on through the generations. Here are the last of the ones that I have received.

This week … you get two blogs. Later today or early tomorrow I will share some thoughts about the winter solstice/longest night and an ancient place outside of Dublin that I visited that honours the rhythms of light and dark in the world.

Then I will be taking a bit of a break for a couple of weeks. I will be around, and will lead worship on December 29th and toast the New Year with you after the worship service. But unless there is a pastoral emergency I will be laying low, enjoying visits with family and friends, reading and knitting by the fire, and perhaps even enjoying a drop of Writers Tears (isn’t that a great name for an Irish whiskey?).

I will see many of you in the next couple of weeks at church, but to those I don’t, many blessings of this season and safe travels if you are traveling. It is a privilege serving as your minister over these past 5 months and I look forward to the next 7

We begin this week’s sharing with Dana.

Dana writes: This was purchased in Calgary, AB and given by Jeff and I to my parents for the first Christmas we spent apart. When my parents died, I began to display it each year. It’s wooden blocks so the grandkids have been able to play with the Nativity scene. Mom added a Christmas Star ornament from her collection, and it sort of stuck. It’s likely over 50 years old.

This next one, which is hanging outside the church office when you come in the Joseph Howe entrance, is one that the Sunday School made a couple of years ago. Louisa shares this:

That was our first big project post-Covid. We made the pattern together, and then chose the background fabrics, which I cut and pieced together. We had great fun deciding what the hills and fields would look like, and deciding how to arrange the buttons. These are mostly shank-backed buttons, so we had to make holes in the fabric to push the backs through, and then secure them with a safety pin. The children had great fun learning to use the sewing stiletto to make the holes!

Working on this project gave us a lot of time to talk together, and reconnect as a Sunday School community as in-person worship resumed. You get to have great conversations when you’re gathered around a project, taking turns in deciding where to place various elements and then actually doing the work to bring your idea to life. The children enjoyed it so much that we went on to make a quilt next!

These two are from Mavis Hicks and Ian Parker:

It belonged to Mavis, gifted by an old friend. It was brought to this house when we married moved here in 1994. One "wise guy" is missing. The other is a teeny, tiny wooden one from Germany.

And finally, for your viewing pleasure, a video the Bethany youth group made several years ago (2017 or 2018?) with their version of the Christmas Story. Many thanks to Kyla Mills who edited this down from the larger worship service video. Recognize anyone you know? Enjoy!

 also, just received these pictures taken by Karen Finley of last Sunday’s Living Nativity event. 

More stories and scenes ...

December 13, 2024

One of my favourite Christmas stories is a book called Angela and the Baby Jesus, written by Irish author Frank McCourt. A few years ago it was made into a short animated film available on Netflix. McCourt also wrote Angela’s Ashes, a memoir of his childhood, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1997.

 Here’s the trailer from the Netlix film:  

 https://youtu.be/RnrkwZBnbLs?si=ABHqJj8s7PWs_0O7

 Or you can listen to the audiobook at:

https://youtu.be/1uTFapQ9G5c?si=wU6yFBJpp055d7UT

 Angela and the Baby Jesus is a true story about McCourt’s mother, who as a young child kidnaps the baby Jesus from the nativity scene in the church.

She thought he looked cold, so she brings him home and tucks him under the covers in her own bed which she shares with her sister. Of course, she has a hard time keeping it a secret, and soon the whole family knows that she has stolen the baby Jesus from the church nativity scene. Her mother is horrified.

What will the priest say? When the priest arrives with the police, he is faced with what to do with Angela, who after all, has only entered the story in a very real way, who just had the baby Jesus’ welfare at heart.

Next week, Advent 4, is Love. When we open our hearts to let love into our hearts, we are, like John the Baptist, preparing the way for Christ to be born, again and again, in the world. We are, like little Angela, taking Jesus out of the nativity scene and bringing him into our homes. We are, like Mary and Zechariah in our readings this week (Advent 3, Joy) and last (Advent 2, Peace), saying yes to God.

I am enjoying seeing your pictures and reading your stories about your favourite nativity scenes.

And, I look forward to this Sunday evening when I will see Bethany’s Living Nativity. Carol Knapp starts us off with this story of one of the previous Living Nativity evenings:

“Once at the Living Nativity Glen (a shepherd – with a goat!) was kneeling by the manger when his goat head butted him in the butt and sent him into the manger.”

That must have been quite the sight!!

Here are a few more:

Several of you have mentioned to me that years ago Bethany also made the nativity scene blocks that I am using with the children during the Sundays in Advent.

This is from Ann Bradley. She said:

“You inspired me to dig these out of the Christmas chest. They were buried beneath so much stuff! But they are still in good shape. We are missing the angel.”

I told her I still had the patterns of all the figures. In fact, The Christian Education Committee at my previous church decided they would undertake the project over zoom during Advent 2020. And, to be clear, it was the GO Project staff and CE Committee members that organized the event and did all the preparations. My felt cutting days are long gone. Here they all are. It worked surprisingly well.

Sandra Shields: I have had this since 1972. It was a gift, from a woman named Mrs. Heath, who would become like a mother to me. 

Maryth Maxner: This Nativity was the one I used in my Preschool for many years. It was well enjoyed and not one piece was broken. It was symbolic that all the characters are children.

This is our Nativity when Chuck and I were first married, simple yet it tells the story so well.

Louisa Duck: Attached is a picture of our little Nativity scene. This dates back to Christmas of 1940, the first Christmas that my maternal grandparents were married.

My granddad worked at Aluminum Goods in Toronto, and various salesmen would go in during the lunch hours with their various wares. Grandpa brought this home for Nana one day after work.

When I was growing up, this was on my parents’ mantel every Christmas. The Christmas that Tom and I were engaged, in 1994, my dad gave my mum an early gift, a beautiful hand-painted ceramic Nativity. It was lovely, but my brothers and I were shocked at such a change. Why mess with tradition? And then, when we were putting away the decorations after the holiday that year, my mum filled a box with ornaments for Tom and I, and she put in the Nativity, along with the little village you see to the right. They’ve been in our home for 29 Christmases now. So that’s the story of our Nativity! 

Pam Carter: Not sure how old it really is but was always there when growing up. It is missing Joseph, some animals, a couple of wise men. The angel is missing a halo. It belonged to my aunt who had it on top of a little tree. When my daughter was little and we would go visit Aunt Blanche more than 40 years ago Wendy loved holding it so my Aunt gave it to her. It was added to the nativity. 

Linda Knechtel: I have been using this Nativity Scene since my son was very young.  It was handcrafted in Lunenburg and can be set up in different configurations.  It was my son’s Christmas “job” to set it up each year. Now, my great, great niece (age 2) can enjoy it too. 

And here are a few more from Julie Johnson’s collection …

Nativity scenes

I received a number of pictures of nativity scenes. I will let them, and their stories, speak for themselves.

I will tell you that from the research I did (on the internet of course … and there’s lots of stuff there about the history of nativity scenes), I re-learned, because I had heard this before, that St. Francis of Assisi is credited with creating the first living nativity scene on Christmas Eve in 1223 in Greccio, Italy. The scene was set in a cave and included a wax figure of baby Jesus, animals, and people dressed as Mary and Joseph.

Of course, before that, there were depictions of nativity scenes in paintings, frescos, and other art forms.

Our Moderator posted today about a “Nativity Expo” at Grace United Church in Burlington, Ontario, where they will display over 200 nativity scenes from members of the congregation. Looks like it is a yearly event. (Nativity Expo)

So, it is safe to say that nativity scenes are popular around the world. They are a way of telling the story of the birth of Jesus. And each one has a story within a story. Where it was purchased, a memory of Christmases past or a family member, a story about how it has survived over many years …

For your viewing pleasure, here are a couple more videos for you to enjoy.

This one is from an American church with folks of all ages telling the story.

https://youtu.be/DMA5gZ7mF8s?si=Hn0m9WEuuuO8vXgg

And, this is from Canadian artist William Kurelak’s 1976 children’s book, A Northern Nativity, with Chris DeBurgh’s music.

 https://youtu.be/aKK_uvnph08?si=bCPg8m4Kw-80-_4Y

We look forward to seeing you at Bethany this Sunday, when we will celebrate Advent 2. It is the Sunday of Peace. On our journey to Bethlehem we will be thinking about Jerusalem, the site of the Temple, where Zechariah, a priest in the Temple, receives an angel visitor who tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear a son. The encounter leaves Zechariah speechless because he and his wife are in their senior years. Zechariah and Elizabeth are John the Baptist’s parents. This is an important moment in the origin story of Jesus, but I doubt you will find Zechariah, Elizabeth, or John the Baptist in a nativity scene. At least, I have never seen them in the picture …

Here are some pictures from members of our congregation …

Kathy Brown: It is fired terracotta clay, painted. Made in Bangladesh and bought at a Ten Thousand Villages sale at St. Andrew's many years ago. It is very small just 13 centimeters across the base in front, but very detailed.

Kathy Grant: My treasured collectibles are my blocks that spell out the Sundays in advent. 

Ruth Devenne: My late husband came into my workplace about 30 years ago very excited because he had found it at the Bible Store downtown. It was the same one his family had when he was a child.  

Maryth Maxner

Barb Black:  Mom and Dad had it the year before I came along. One year we broke Joseph’s staff so Dad put a chicken skewer in his hand. After I got it, a camel’s hoof broke off so I used a pencil eraser to give him a prosthetic hoof. Even the straw is 74 years old. This nativity scene could tell many stories.

Betty Tozer: This is the nativity scene that Jim and I had out for our nieces and nephews (when they were little ones).  They always liked that it was children and not adults.

Julie Johnson: The wooden one I purchased at the last spring fair hosted by the Sunday School. Baby Jesus was missing but for $1, got it anyway....lol.. Les Russell carved a new Baby Jesus for me.

I will post others from Julie’s collection next week.

Angels among us ...

Poor old Murphy. The look on his face says to me … “seriously?”

I will admit to not having a lot of patience in the past with people who dress their pets up. But I have to admit … this one makes me smile.

It’s kind of how I felt a few weeks ago when I began to plan Advent and Christmas, and to imagine how I was going to jump on board the moving train that is Bethany United Church during the upcoming season. It is truly dizzying trying to keep up with everything that happens within this community of faith.

Last year at this time I was newly retired, exhausted, and slightly burnt out, having just moved back to Halifax after living in Toronto for five years. A large part of my exhaustion was the stress of living in two places at once (my home in Halifax, and a small apartment in Toronto), while leading a congregation through Covid and several other major projects during those five years. If I am honest … I wasn’t sure if I ever wanted to set foot in a church again. I suspect this is not a surprise to those who have heard me preach these past few months.

But something happened at about the nine month mark after my official retirement. I have a good friend and colleague who used to refer to God’s call as a pesky mosquito who keeps coming around to bite you. Even though, and despite the fact, that you keep swatting it away. I heard God saying …  “I’m not done with you yet …”

As we approach the first Sunday in Advent, I am pondering the significance of the nine month gestation period for the birth of something new in my life.

Christmas is all about the story.

A good story speaks to us over time. We gain new insights each time we return to it. We see ourselves in the story from new perspectives and different points of view.

There’s a reason nativity scenes are so popular. I have a collection myself. Many are from different parts of the world. It offers a way of entering the story, just like Christmas pageants, holiday movies, Christmas carols and decorations.

Sometimes during the sermon or reflection times I ask folks who they relate to in the story.

Many years ago, I attended a workshop with John Bell from the Iona Community in Scotland. He told stories of his work with working class and marginalized people in Glasgow, and he helped us see how the Christmas story can connect to people in their own contexts.

Joseph’s story might particularly resonate with step-parents, and blended and adoptive families. Those people who open their hearts to a child that is not their biological child.

The shepherds, we are told, were the first to hear the news about the birth of Jesus. In those days, shepherds were on the lowest rung of society – on the margins. What are the implications that the good news came first to them? Who are the shepherds in our midst, and are we listening to them?

Someone took pity on that couple as they wandered the city that night – one person took them in and offered them a place to at least have a bit of shelter. A simple act of hospitality, in the midst of what would have been a noisy, overcrowded, chaotic scene, that would change the world.

The wise ones traveled from a foreign land for years to meet this new King of the Jews. According to Matthew’s gospel they don’t even get to Jesus until much later. But somehow, they have found their way into the manger scene. They bring the gift of recognition by outsiders.

We are told that after they met the baby, they had to go home a different way. Don’t we all?

There are all the folks on the margins of the story who often don’t make it into the nativity scenes. Zechariah and Elizabeth, Anna and Simeon – the gift of the aged and the wise ones at the beginning and end of the story.

And the angels – of course the angels who announce the birth to the nations. The messengers that bring good news.

And, there is Mary, the pregnant teenager.

What is Mary’s story?

Over the next four weeks we will explore all of these stories.

How will you enter the Christmas story this year? And whose story catches your attention? Here are two videos that an Australian church put together a number of years ago, but they still bring me joy even though I have seen them many times. And a smile.

Just like the picture of Murphy.

Angels among us indeed.

https://youtu.be/kWq60oyrHVQ?si=35D3BA2aL3i5d0Jw

and this one that they did a couple of years later …

https://youtu.be/TM1XusYVqNY?si=AoHXmLT_EsqXuFFr

Spiritual Practice - remembering

stones with holes from the shores of Lake Huron, Southampton, Ontario

In my childhood I spent part of every summer with my family at a cottage owned by my grandmother on the shores of Lake Huron. One of the activities of the time spent there was looking for stones with holes in them. It was supposed to bring you good luck.

My grandmother had a huge collection of these stones that she had on a string in the living room of the cottage, hanging just inside the front door.

I found that some folks were good at finding stones with holes, others were not. I was not.

Hard as I tried, I could never find one. One of my younger cousins found one every time she went down to the beach. It was infuriating. One of my sons used to find them quite regularly.

I remember one time, as I was lamenting never finding one, my cousin said “the trick is, you look for the hole, not the stone.” I could never quite figure out what that meant. Then one day, walking on the beach many decades later, I thought ok, I’ll give this one more try. And I didn’t find one. I was just about ready to walk away and give up.

Then I remembered the words of my cousin. I walked a little further, took a deep breath, and looked again. I found two stones with holes that day. Since then, I have been slightly more successful at finding stones with holes, and I have my own little collection.  

Up until not that many years ago, I always thought it was a family myth that these stones had some kind of magical qualities.

But, according to the Oxford University reference site,

“One of the most widespread magic devices to protect both man and beast was a pebble with a natural hole in it, also called ‘hagstone’, ‘witch-stone’, or (in the north-east) ‘adder-stones’. They were believed to repel witchcraft, and consequently any disease caused by spells or the evil eye; in particular, they prevented hag-riding. The earliest allusion is in a 15th-century charm against nightmares …

… Small ones could be carried in the pocket or hung up over the bed; larger ones were used in stables … A variation, still known in the mid-20th century, was to hang the stone on the stable door; usually the doorkey or a bit of old chain would be attached to it, reinforcing its power with that of iron. … in Victorian times, necklaces of them were sold ‘for luck’ in Brighton … and were much worn by women of fishing families.”[1]

When I look at my small collection, I marvel at the time – at the persistence - that it must have taken for the water and sand to bore a hole right through.

I realized lately that I tend to see them now in their totality, and not with any specific story of their finding. A few actually have holes that don’t go all the way through, but there was something about the stone that drew me to it.

Each time I look at them, and hold them … I am right back on the beach. And memories comes back to me of the place … the people … the sounds and smells of the beach and the water. It seems that many of the touchstone experiences of my life happened on those shores.

Perhaps the stones do hold magical qualities. They facilitate my memories. And they invite me to stop and give thanks for all the experiences of my life that make me who I am today.

I am also aware that stones can also be used as weapons to hurt people. And stones can be used as examples or metaphors for resistance to change.

This week in worship we talk about remembering. How we remember … what we remember … and we explore the dangers of only remembering one story, which is often only our own story.

As we approach the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation on September 30, non-indigenous people are called to listen to the experiences and memories of the indigenous peoples of Canada. We are called to honour the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.

In the words of the Moderator of the United Church of Canada, the Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Landsdowne in here 2024 address to the UCC, we are called “ … to reflect, learn and to pray about the continued impact of colonial policies and governance in what we call Canada.”

What are the objects and keepsakes that help you remember? When, and how, have you learned about someone else’s experience through a sacred story or object?

[1] Holed stones - Oxford Reference

Spiritual Practice Part One

My happy place

- the shores of Lake Huron, Southampton, Ontario

 Many years ago, when my own children were younger, I offered a study for young parents called “Parenting from a Spiritual Perspective”. The study was based on a wonderful book called “In the midst of chaos: Caring for Children as Spiritual Practice.”

It could hear the collective groans when I announced the study … “you mean we have to now add spiritual practice to the busy-ness of our lives?”

But the brilliance of the book was that it articulated that in fact, most parents were already engaged in spiritual practices in their family lives – spiritual practices of storytelling, food preparation and hospitality, gratitude, play, music, and many more.

I learned that the key to spiritual practice is intentionality, and being present to the moment. I can chop carrots for the stew in a hurry and think of all the other things I have to do instead of chopping carrots, or I can chop carrots imagining the people who are going to gather around the bowls of stew, enjoying each other’s company and conversation. The latter is a spiritual practice. The first is just a chore.

When we recognize that much of what we already do can be viewed as spiritual practice, it’s just a matter of state of mind, I think that spiritual practice becomes a bit more manageable.

Author and theologian Lauren Winner grew up as an Orthodox Jew, and then converted to Christianity as an adult. Although still committed to Christianity, she says in her book “mudhouse sabbath, An Invitation to a Life of Spiritual Discipline”:

“I miss Jewish ways. I miss the rhythms and routines that drew the sacred down into the everyday. I miss Sabbaths on which I actually rested. I have even found that I miss the drudgery of keeping kosher. I miss the work these practices effected between me and God.”

In her book Winner describes some of the practices that she misses after she converted to Christianity. She says:

“This is a book about those things I miss. It is about Sabbaths and weddings and burials and prayers, rituals Jews and Christians both observe, but also rituals we observe quite differently … It is, to be blunt, about spiritual practices that Jews do better. It is, to be blunter, about Christian practices that would be enriched, that would be thicker and more vibrant, if we took a few lessons from Judaism. It is ultimately about places where Christians have some things to learn.

Jews do these things with more attention and wisdom not because they are more righteous not because God likes them better, but rather because doing, because action, sits at the center of Judaism. Practice is to Judaism what belief is to Christianity. That is not to say that Judaism doesn’t have dogma or doctrine. It is rather to say that for Jews, the essence of the thing is a doing, an action. Your faith might come and go, but your practice ought not waver.”[1]

Winner describes a number of spiritual practices that she thinks might enrich the spiritual journeys of Christians – practices like candle lighting, hospitality, fasting, aging, weddings … there are many more.

A spiritual director once asked me to make a list 20 things that bring me joy. It was at a very busy time in my life and I had a hard time getting to half a dozen. Her point was to make the list and then to be intentional about making time for those moments. In the months since I officially retired I have tried to intentionally think about that question – “what brings me joy”? And of course, it will change over time.

Here are a few for me:

Having tea, coffee or lunch with a friend

Sitting quietly and colouring a mandala

Music

Knitting while watching TV (usually … unless it is a complicated pattern that I have to pay attention to … sometimes there’s not a lot of joy in that!)

Reading … these past months it has been mystery series … Ellie Galloway, Martin Walker, Louise Penny, Rhys Dylan, Ausma Zehanat Khan

Watching episodes of Father Brown or Endeavour – no matter how many times I have seen them before. (I could probably add to this list …)

Listening to a Krista Tippet’s On Being podcast (Home | The On Being Project)

Sitting by water (BIG water like the ocean, or the Great Lakes) and beaches (see picture above)

What brings you joy, and how do you make sure you incorporate those activities into your day or week?

[1] Winner, Lauren; mudhouse sabbath, Paraclette Press; 2007; p.viii-ix

Old Stories, New Stories, Our Stories

Did you hear the story about Eutychus, in the book of Acts? He is the youth who fell out of a third story open window late one night while listening to one of the apostle Paul’s very long sermons. (Spoiler alert: he died, but Paul brought him back to life).

         No? How about Deborah, the wise woman who counseled many while she sat under a palm tree … dispensing her wisdom in the midst of the oppression of her people?

         Or, what about the five daughters of Zelophehad, who successfully challenged an unjust law in the highest courts of the land so that they could inherit their father’s land and carry on the family name?

         Some of you may have heard the great Louis Armstrong singing “Shadrac, Meshach and Abednego” (check out this youtube video - Louis Armstrong - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (youtube.com) … but do you know the story from the book of Daniel, when they refused to bow down to a golden idol and ended up in the fiery furnace? (again, spoiler alert: God saved them).

         By now, you know that I love a good story. Whether it is a book, or a movie, or a family story told over the years, I think that stories make up the fabric of our lives.

         A good story helps us to tell our own story, and when we tell our own stories, we get close to our authentic selves – who we truly are in the deepest of our being. When we see ourselves in a story, or relate a story to something we notice in our own lives, we understand ourselves and the world around us a little better.

         Perhaps we notice the people today that are challenging unjust laws, and feel compassion. Or, we are reminded of the times in our own lives when we, like Jonah, have tried to run away from something that we feel we have been asked to do because it just feels too hard. Or, maybe your strong faith has moved you to perform radical acts of hospitality like Lydia did for Paul and the other apostles in the Book of Acts.

         These are just some of the 16 people you will meet in our upcoming Faith Study.

In the participant study journal, there is beautiful artwork with accompanying artists’ statements, questions for personal reflection and group conversation, and space to journal. The series is described as being about “ordinary people of faith – doing what they can with what they have to make a difference”, looking at  “16 bold stories of those often overlooked in our biblical narratives.”

         In the artist’s statement for the piece “They stood” (pictured below), Lauren Wright Pittman writes:

         “The text says the women came forward; they stood, they spoke, they questioned, and they even demanded. Any one of those actions alone is difficult for the unseen and unheard. All they wanted was to receive the inheritance of their father and to keep his name from fading. I’m sure the pain of their father’s death was potent, but they needed to be recognized, valued, and seen as human beings in order to survive.

The catalyst for this moment isn’t only the women’s strength; it also took a man in power to listen, to open his heart, to wrestle, and to offer his grasp over this patriarchal law to God. When Moses offered up his control and dared to consider a new way, God heard the voices of these women. “They are right,” God said. The old law was no longer suitable, so God made way for change. Though the laws were probably carved into stone, God shows us in this text that the law is living, breathing, adaptable, and changing.

This text invites us to come forward, to stand, to speak, to question, and to demand change when we experience injustice. When the powers in place don’t budge, that is not the end of the story. When you personally aren’t experiencing injustice, that does not mean you should bask in your comfort. For those whose voices are less valued, for those who go unseen, for those who have fought a long and continuing fight, we must breathe life into those old, tired, worn-out laws. In this image, the winds of change, the breath of God, surrounds the tent of meeting and the voice of God descends on these women, hearing their cry. New life sprouts from the ground as the law is heard afresh.”

         Some of the stories featured in the series you might have heard before, and some of the stories may be entirely new to you. I hope you can join us, in person, or by zoom, at 7 pm on Wednesday September 18 to add your voice to the conversation. Email or call the office to let us know you are coming so we’ll have the materials ready for you, or we can send them to you electronically.

Image: They Stood, Lauren Wright Pittman, Sanctified Art Study Journal, sanctifiedart.org

Visiting Martha part two

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about all my little tchotchkes (definition: a small object that is decorative rather than strictly functional) that have traveled with me and have been on display in my many offices over the years. Items that remind me of special people and moments.

And, there is also all my “Jesus stuff” – action figures, pencil toppers, a bobblehead, sticky notes, a last supper lunchbox … at home I even have a Jesus salt and pepper shaker (don’t worry – if you ever come to dinner at my place, it never appears on the table – it is strictly decorative, way up on a shelf in my home office …).

Perhaps it all seems a bit irreverent to you. Most of them are gifts. When people heard that I was fascinated by my Jesus Action Figure (mostly from a “why? Who thought this was a good idea? Who actually buys this?” perspective) … people started giving me gifts of Jesus stuff that they would come across. Hence the collection - that I really don’t know what to do with now, except write blogs about them, and sometimes bring an item to meetings for reflection.

Yesterday, we (well, mostly Dana and Jimmy) got a few posters up in my office. Posters that I have collected over the years. Many are from a curriculum that was popular about 20 years ago called Seasons of the Spirit. Every unit came with a set of posters, and each poster has information about the artist and a short reflection about the image. They were beautiful, thought provoking, and very conversational.

Many were paintings and portraits of Jesus over the years.

Just as how I reflected last week about it making sense to me that different people would imagine God in many different ways, I think that it makes sense that folks would imagine Jesus in many different ways. In fact, scholars point out that Jesus would have been a much darker skinned man than many white people in the world have pictured. So I also was intrigued to find many images of Jesus in this poster collection.

Images from many different cultures and contexts – indigenous, black, young, old, rich, or poor, or even Jesus laughing. Images through the ages.

For example, try googling “Christ of the Breadline” or “Jesus laughing”.

Part of my collection is a poster from the Student Christian Movement (SCM). For those of you that don’t know about SCM, it is a 100 year old grass led network, passionate about justice, community in diversity, and radical faith in action. SCM still exists on many campuses across Canada and the world. (see scmcanada.org)

The poster was created many years ago when the Student Christian Movement of Canada had a talented and clever artist as one of their National Directors. The poster goes through the whole alphabet, with a little cartoon and a caption for each letter, each one based on a story about Jesus. I have used the poster many times as a Bible study, especially with youth and young adults.

I even laminated and cut one poster up into puzzle pieces, and as we put the pieces together we talk about all the different stories of Jesus.

It starts out … A is for Activist … the caption says “Jesus stirred up trouble in the streets …”  B is for Black; “Jesus was from Palestine, so the odds of him looking like the blue-eyed, brown-haired guy on the wall of your Sunday School class are pretty slim.” C of course … is for Carpenter. “Jesus worked most of his life in an average Joe job.”

D … Displaced. “Jesus was a refugee. This is Jesus and his family running away to Egypt because Herod was killing all the babies.”

Many of the youth like Q … for queer positive, with the caption “Jesus liked to hang out with the marginalized and oppressed”, with a bubble near Jesus saying, “Hi, I’m Jesus, wanna go for coffee?”

In the gospel of Mark, chapter 8, Jesus asks his disciples “Who do others say I am?”, and, “Who do you say I am?” The exchange between Jesus and his disciples implies that who others say Jesus is may not always be who you say Jesus is.

We get to know Jesus by getting to know how he lived his life, who he hung out with, how he treated people, what he taught.

How do you think about Jesus? Who do you say he is? If you want some help thinking about it, drop by my office sometime.

Ask Me About - August 2, 2024

I am delighted to have the privilege of being appointed as your minister for the next year. I want to say thank you for the welcome messages I have received from folks this past week, and I look forward to meeting all of you, in person or electronically, over the next few months.

I know that in the past few years, you have looked forward to a daily reflection from your minister. I am pretty sure that I won’t be able to keep up that pace. But, I will commit to sending out at least one reflection each week during my time here.

Some thoughts and ideas might be shamelessly plagiarized (with accreditation of course) from the many blogs and theologians that I read on an ongoing basis. Or, perhaps from the Lenten Study that I wrote for the United Church of Canada in 2017 called Parables, Prayers and Promises, Some thoughts on Jesus.

Some reflections might be about the coming week’s worship theme. And some may be me sharing surprising moments of awe and wonder that I have experienced throughout the week.

        This week – I thought I might tell you a bit more about me, and who you have hired to be your minister for a year. There is some background information about my ministry and employment history in the announcement from the board. And, there is a bit of information about my family added to the general bio on the website.

But perhaps you would like to know a bit more.

My friend in Northern Ireland, when introducing himself at an event, after some very brief remarks, often said … during the break or our meal time you are free to ask me questions. He would say … you could  “ask me about the time when I met … and then he would name a famous person … ” … or “ask me about my work with …” and he might name a specific group of people – or “ask me about the time the youth group set off the fire alarm in the village.”. It immediately created a curiosity, and a desire for more information.

So for me, for example, you could …

        … ask me about the time I spent three months at the Corrymeela Peace and Reconciliation Centre in Northern Ireland, and the 10 return trips that I did with university students and church folks.

Or, perhaps you might want to ask me about why I take the stairs one at a time … and I will tell you a little about my catastrophic injury 9 years ago in my St. John’s office that ruptured my Achilles tendon, caused me to be in a cast for 8 months, and resulted in 2 surgeries.  Or … perhaps you even might want to ask me about the time many years ago when I was in a band singing Irish songs throughout the Maritimes[MM1] . (That’s one of my two truths and a lie statements!)

Or … one of my favourite topics, “ask me about the GO Project, a United Church youth program. (Spoiler: my daughter Alana Martin, also a Diaconal Minister, is the lead staff to this program.)

        I am happy to fill in the details in our conversations later. In the meantime, here a few things to know about me as we begin our journey.

Number 1:

        I am a Diaconal Minister in the United Church of Canada. Many of you might ask … what exactly is a Diaconal Minister? We get that a lot.

        In the United Church of Canada, there is one Order of Ministry with two streams of ministers – Ordained ministers, and Diaconal ministers. Where ordained ministers are ordained to the ministry of word, sacrament and pastoral care, diaconal ministers are commissioned to the ministry of education, service and pastoral care. However, most members of the order of ministry in reality are involved in all of the aspects of ministry.

The training for diaconal ministry is quite different from ordained ministry, in that it focuses more deeply on an action/reflection model, and in the areas of education, justice and pastoral care.

Number 2:

Although I have lived over 45 years in Halifax, Nova Scotia, I actually grew up in Toronto. I came to Toronto in 1977 – that part relates to the question about singing Irish songs with the band. I still have family and good friends in Ontario that I try to visit when I can.

Number 3:

I like to refer to movies, books, songs, poems, paintings, TV shows, news articles … pop culture in general, in my sermons and studies. I don’t believe that as Christians we can make sense of our ancient story unless we can apply it to our everyday lives – and most of us are consumers of the culture around us in some way.

I began to do this very early in my career – working with youth and young adults, and in university chaplaincy. I find that culture helps us connect with the biblical story in new ways.

And finally, Number 4:

    An important focus in my personal life and in my ministry recently is about

discovering how I can be part of (in the words of a decades old United Church of Canada resource), “mending the world” … and how to best walk in solidarity with marginalized folks in our communities. For example, people with disabilities, racialized people, indigenous peoples, or the LGBTQIA2S community to name just a few.

Especially in the past few years, I have learned that this means continuously understanding and confronting my own white privilege, unpacking the baggage and biases of my own history, and naming racism, ableism, classism, and homophophia.

It usually means a lot of listening, and often sitting in a place of discomfort for a time.

I am on a learning curve with this one and I am always looking for companions to do this work, and learn, with me. It is not easy work. I know that this congregation is already doing some of this work, and I look forward to walking with you as we worship, plan and grow together over the next year.

I love to share ideas, and firmly believe that conversation and deep listening enhances understanding and relationships. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you would like to meet – (and ask me questions! …) either by phone, email or in person.