They showed us unusual kindness.

January 18-25 is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.  The worldwide celebration is both the seed and the fruit of this striving for ‘unity in diversity’. This year’s theme calls us to move from shared prayer to shared action.

An excerpt from the service prepared for the Week and from the website weekofprayer.ca

....We ... pray for unity among Christians and reconciliation in the world. Divisions among Christians have existed for many centuries. This causes great pain and is contrary to God’s will. We believe in the power of prayer. Together with Christians all over the world, we offer our prayers as we seek to overcome separation.

The resources for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by different Christian Churches in Malta. The history of Christianity in this small island nation dates back to the time of the apostles.  According to tradition, St Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, reached the shores of Malta in the year 60 CE.  The narrative describing this eventful and providential episode is conveyed to us in the final two chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.  

This text signals the beginning of Christianity in Malta - a small country made up of two main inhabites islands, Malta and Gozo, as well as other islets - at the heart of the Mediterranean Sea, halfway between the southern tip of Sicily and Northern Africa.  This biblical land lies at the crossroads of civilizations, cultures and religions. 

(As an island nation, boats are an important part of Maltese life.  The Scripture reading in this service describes a perilous sea voyage by the Apostle Paul.  A boat is also symbolic of the sometimes tempestuous journey Christians make together towards unity.)  

Our prayers and reflections ... during this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, are centred on the hospitality shown by the islanders towards those who had just been shipwrecked: “They showed us unusual kindness” (cf. Acts 28:2). May the love and respect we show each other today as we pray for Christian unity be with us throughout the whole year.

Time to 'just be' at church

This Sunday belongs to children; it is our annual Christmas Pageant Sunday.

I began to think about children in church after reading an article by Lisa Brown, Director of Children’s Ministry and Communications at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh. In her essay, “Feral church children: Kids need time to ‘just be’ at church,” she writes, “At church, kids will form relationships with caring adults who … have no expectations of achievement. We aren’t looking at a kid to determine their academic, athletic or artistic ability. We aren’t evaluating them. We welcome them as a child of God. We are always glad to see them, no matter what is going on in their life. At church, kids will learn an alternate life narrative to that which is glorified in mainstream culture. … [They learn] that happiness and self-worth can be measured by metrics other than material and financial success. … At church, kids won’t just learn about God in a book, they will experience God in relationships and in community.”

Children are not just children. They are children of God. Could there be a more appropriate place for children than the sanctuary and the nooks and crannies of the church? This Sunday I really hope to see you in church. Come, embrace the chaos, the noise and laughter. Take a deep breath and smile. This is life! This is community! This is family! This is heaven! It’s all very cool.

We have a big tent!

(A stewardship moment)

Help us grow the tent!

For the second time, I have been asked to stand up and talk about why I am involved in the church’s life.  And for the second time, I have tried but failed to wiggle out of this task.  Because the truth is, I have many doubts; I am unsure why I participate and therefore there is not much to talk about.  Perhaps, participating is simply part of my being.

One day when we lived in Sudbury, one of my Trinity Lutheran “coffee hour friends” said, “I don’t know about you, but when I say the creed, I have my fingers crossed behind my back.”

In this time of virgin birth and the resurrection that we all know follows, I wonder how many of us have “our fingers crossed” as we speak of these miracles.  I’ll bet it is a lot.

Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the New York Times and prominent activist for women, the poor, the oppressed and the sick, writes about his admiration and adherence to the principles of Jesus’ teachings, especially the Sermon of the Mount.  He also writes about his skepticism about the virgin birth, the resurrection and the other miracles.  He has asked a number of religious leaders whether, in the absence of these beliefs, he is a Christian.

Rev. Timothy Keller, a New York evangelist and founder of a mega-church with 5000 attendees, replied that these beliefs are integral to Christianity.  Being a Christian without accepting these beliefs would be like being a director of Greenpeace while believing that global warming is a hoax.

Former President Jimmy Carter replied that his belief in these miracles comes from his faith not science.  He added that he does not judge whether someone else is a Christian but tries to apply the teachings of Jesus in his own life, often without success.

Kristof received a most intriguing reply from Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey: “If you haven’t completely closed the door on the possibility that God has more to say to you, then I think you’re in the tent.”

The St. Philip’s tent needs to be big enough and broad enough to accommodate those of us who are convinced and those of us who doubt.  Growing such tents requires time, commitment and funds.  Consider this when making your personal and financial commitments for 2020.                                                                                                                                                

Sam Marcuson,                                                                                                                                        December 8, 2019

The call of John the Baptist

If you were to spend a moment daydreaming about your idea for a perfect Christmas, what images would you conjure? Gorgeous music and candlelight? A family gathering without quarrels and instead filled by a sense of Christmas good cheer? Healing for a loved one who is ill? Time with someone you miss? What? 

This week in our readings we meet John the Baptist who calls people to repent. Repentance is rarely an easy sell as it is so often associated with feelings of guilt, of not doing enough or not measuring up. However, repentance isn’t about feeling bad or saying, “I’m sorry.”  Rather, it’s about a re-orientation, a change of perspective and direction, a commitment to turn and live differently.

Advent can be a time to put things in perspective, to channel our energy and resources to those things that matter most … to us, to our families and communities, and to God.

Have a blessed Advent.

Be the Light of Christ

This Sunday is the last one of the church year. It is called Christ the King Sunday.  But he is not the kind of king we might expect. This king calls for our commitment to solidarity with and in suffering of all kind in this world.

As Leonard Cohen wrote, “There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”  We are called to be the light of Christ. The light that sheds light on that which justifies and validates hatred and violence to expose it for what it is. The light that sheds light on those who have been ignored, overlooked, and silenced to disavow ignorance for good. The desperately needed ray of light that shines as a glimmer of hope for all and especially today.