This Sunday we enter into the fourth Sunday of Lent. Our theme, under the overall theme of “Tell Me Something Good” … is “the good news is … protection and care for the vulnerable.”
We explore two scripture passages, one from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 19 (which for us, might be called “Jesus and the children, part 2”) and a passage from the book of Deuteronomy in the Hebrew Scriptures that instructs the people of God to look after the vulnerable … the aliens, the widows, the orphans among them.
I first started to become aware of what we might call “world affairs” when I went to work for a small branch office of a world wide NGO in the 1980s. It was a two person office – my boss and I. I learned so much from her. She coached and encouraged me … engaged me in endless discussions that expanded my mind immeasurably.
She affirmed some of my intuitions about the world that I wasn’t savvy enough to articulate, and helped me grow in my understanding and confidence. When I told her that I often heard people say things like “if you redistributed all the wealth in the world so that everyone had the same, it would not be too long before it was all back to the way it was, with some having a lot, and many not having anything”… that it was human nature to want power and be greedy and to have more than one needed.
I didn’t want to believe that. I wanted to believe that there was a better way. I still do.
She told me that as long as you could find one story, one situation, one example of people sharing, helping, being in community and supporting one another, that proved that theory (that human nature was about greed and power) wrong. I have always hung on to that way of thinking.
Last week while we were in St. Thomas I watched Alana get ready for a GO Project March Break camp in Thunder Bay. You can read more about the GO Project Youth Mission Projects at https://thegoproject.ca/youth-march-break/
She is traveling tomorrow with 8 youth from Southern Ontario to St. Paul’s United Church in Thunder Bay. There she will join with 12 youth and their leaders. For 6 days they will visit mission sites, build community, cook, worship, discern, discuss, have fun, and dream together.
One of the youth leaders from Thunder Bay was a climate change motivator (a GO/national office summer program) previously and was instrumental in leading the charge in getting the March Break program underway. But the community’s history goes back further than that … and some of it’s origin story is told in this wonderful summary from the UCC Foundation. Be sure to watch the 4 minute video in the article:
I am inspired by this story of hope and good news … and how communities can respond to changing contexts and needs in their communities. And, what can happen when people aren’t afraid of each other.
And speaking of inspiring stories … I usually do a sermon series over the winter on the main contenders for the Oscars. There just wasn’t the opportunity to do that this year … but that doesn’t mean we haven’t been watching. Here is a great summary of the main contenders, with lots of links to online podcasts and articles.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/academy-award-predictions-2026-9.7126185
The ones we have appreciated watching (even though they may have been challenging at times!) that have the most buzz are One Battle After Another, Sinners, Hamnet and Marty Supreme. Still on our must see list are Sentimental Value and Train Dreams … and, Alana and Matt say we must see KPop Demons.
See you Sunday!
Martha