March 31, 2020

House building in times of uncertainty


They are like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48

It’s easy when we are in times of uncertainty to let our worst selves take over.  People get snappish, grumpy, judgemental, knit-picky and angry.  They release their tension in the ways that they have done before, only there’s more tension in the air.  Even folks who think that this is an overblown hoax are likely to be more easily erupting into anger and irritability.  This little set of parables has so much challenge in it for just that reason.  It is very human to judge, it is very human to ignore my own problems and focus on fixing everyone else.  Especially when we are living in historic times.  It reminds me of the old saying from China: “May you live in Interesting Times”.  That, by the way, is not a blessing, but actually seen as a curse!

The story of the two housebuilders is a teaching Jesus gave us so that when the interesting times came, we would not be overwhelmed.  It is not about what other people around us do, he wants to focus on what I can do.  Steven Covey’s famous 7 Habits of Highly Effective People start with self-mastery.  Stop fretting about that sliver of sawdust in your neighbor’s or your family member’s eye and start working on the fencepost sticking out of your own eye!  It’s as true as when Covey wrote it in 1989 as when Jesus first spoke to a bunch of poor folks working to desperately feed their families from one day to the next.

My favorite role model of someone who lived this well was my father in law.  In 1953, Bob Rosborough, a young 26-year-old phys. ed teacher with three sons under 6 years old, woke up one morning and found he was paralyzed from the neck down.  He ended up being one of the few adults in the polio ward in Edmonton, a time where all the pools had been closed and many children impacted hard by this brutal disease.  And one of the last to be impacted as vaccines were just becoming available.  At one point the doctors doubted that he would ever walk again.

He, like many of the baby boomers of his generation, had drifted away from the United Church, but the principles they taught, the character traits they promoted, were deeply ingrained in him.  Principles that the bible calls the fruits of the spirit, love, hope, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.  Every single one of them became hugely important in his recovery process.  Without hope he wouldn’t have kept pushing through the pain of rehabilitation, without kindness, his students wouldn’t have rallied around him and his wife, babysitting the boys so she could visit her husband.

He had to dig deep and figure out how to parent rambunctious boys in different ways because he couldn’t run after them and grab them when they did something wrong.  He had to find patience as the family worked together to build his dream cabin at the lake.  And he had to find a new way to inspire students because he could no longer be a gym teacher at school.  He became a guidance counsellor instead, helping children for decades navigate that scary transition from student to adult.

It's time for us to once again dig deep into our souls.  What is the foundation upon which we have built our lives?  Have we built on strong rocks or loose sand?  Are we being shaken by the storm or do we have the ability to stay centered?  It’s never too late to build again, to dig down, to rebuild.  And it’s not about perfection – even Jesus had a moment of doubt when he was dying on the cross and cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”  It’s about taking one moment at a time, and reminding ourselves that we are not alone in this situation, God is with us. 

March 24, 2020

Courage in dark times


kits for worship or learning activities

   & Scripture Readings:  Jeremiah 23: 1-8 “What kind of Shepherd?”
Psalm 23
Luke 12: 13-21

One of my favorite books of all time is Diana Butler Bass’ “A People’s History of Christianity.”  It talks about many things, including how people converted from worshipping Zeus and Jupiter because they saw our faith working.  In Rome when the Plague of Galen started in 165, Christians were the ones who took care of the thousands of people, dead and dying in the streets.  The Romans were so scared of death and the Plague that they were astonished at these crazy people who worked together and helped their neighbors.  While faithful Romans ran away from the cities, faithful Christians planted their feet firmly on the ground, breathed in, rolled up their sleeves and got to work.  And continued to do so over the centuries as they faced all kinds of adversity and danger.  Passages like Jeremiah and the 23rd Psalm are a reminder of ‘steady as she goes’ and love thy neighbor as thyself.  Jeremiah described a time of deep fear, where folks were listening to false news, spreading rumors and hording toilet paper.  Well, maybe not the toilet paper, but you get the point.  Panic buying and nervous tensions were the order of the day.  The people were scattered across the known world, which was no big thing back when immigration depended solely on the strength of their feet to carry them the long distances away from where danger threatened.  God was the Air Canada, the Westjet, the Canadian Airforces swooping in to collect snowbirds, tourists, students and business people to bring them back home.  We’ve had plenty of that right here this week, a grandfather waiting to hear that a grandson had gotten home safe from Italy, our Japanese exchange student saying goodbye to our handbell choir, and our snowbird arriving home to Edmonton and in quarantine for two weeks.  We want to be home, safe, keeping some sense of safety in these uncertain times.

And maybe that’s part of the problem.  Our craving for safety in a time of fear.  What are we craving for?  Control?  Security? Safety?  One of the challenges of being human is that we are probably the only creature that knows that we die, and knows that we usually have no control over when we will die, where, why we will die or how we will die, except for those who choose to do otherwise of course.  But our fear of death does not help in times like these.  It leads to hording, to storing up a lifetime of toilet paper in our closets and basements.  It is an understandable and human response, but in the long run it is not a Christian response.  Jesus told the parable of the rich man who built granaries and then died.  God said, “You fool This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ (Luke 12:20).  We are tempted to horde not only our toilet paper, our bullets, our flour, our milk, but also our compassion, our patience, our trust, and our love.  That is not what our faith is about.  We are called to be people of prayer, of compassion, and of faith.  We are called to acts of prevention and also acts of connection.

What can we do in times of challenge?  Let’s keep connected!  Phone a friend, a family member, a congregation member.  Stay open to opportunities to love and serve others.  Remember to love yourself too, with washing your hands for 20 seconds.  And pray for all who are on the front lines, especially ones who aren’t obviously on the front lines, the truck drivers, the mail carriers, the bank tellers, the garbage collectors, the plumbers and the people in charge of keeping our plumbing and our power and our heat going.  If you have toilet paper, share with those who didn’t beat the rush.  If you have a favorite charity, donate via phone or e-mail with your credit card.  If you order from a restaurant, tip like you know they really need it.  And know that I am just a phone call, a skype session or even a knock on the door away.  I’m saving up a tremendous amount of hugs for you all when this is all over, and even if we never hug in Canada again, I will keep you in my heart just as our Good Shepherd lead us all to lie beside still waters, even in the valley of the shadow of death.  In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us, we are not alone, thanks be to God!  Amen.

March 13, 2020

Sunday Worship in Tough Times


Athabasca United Church has been busy this week with news of Covid-19 and community responses.  All doorknobs, railings, pews and phones were sterilized with bleach this week and will continue to be cleaned regularly.  We have placed sanitizers at the front door, and at tables in the Winding Trail Room and the Basement entrance.  Soap and water is still better at killing viruses.  We are already used to passing the peace in creative ways other than handshaking, whether it’s Namaste bows, Spock’s Vulcan greeting or the Peace sign with our fingers.  We continue to bless each other responsibly and this is a good reminder to think of our neighbors’ health before our own. We are also preparing at home worship kits for folks who are self-isolating.

In Singapore, church leaders worked to find a faithful moderation.  “The biggest lesson for me has been navigating the road between fear and wisdom,” said pastor Andre Tan of The City Church. “It is especially tough as fear often has a way to masquerade itself as wisdom. How many precautionary measures are actually sound judgment and how many are too much, such that they teeter over into irrational fear and anxiety?”

The guidance we've received from The United Church authorities is to respond in three ways:

Compassion

“Overwhelming statistics outlining the number of confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 make it easy to disassociate the numbers from the people and communities involved.

As a church, we seek a compassionate response that acknowledges the personhood attached to each statistic.
We know that the people affected include not only those infected by the COVID-19 virus but also their families, friends, co-workers, and community members. We mourn with people whose loved ones have died, who have lost community through self-isolation and limited travel, and who have lost a sense of security through fear of illness or racism.

We also offer our prayers of thanksgiving for the professionals who are providing leadership in the treatment and containment of the virus, and our prayers of concern for those who serve others, especially health professionals.”

Prevention

“We hope the most vulnerable people in our society will be able to rely on us—communities of faith—to do all that we can to prevent the spread of both the virus and of the fears surrounding it.  Our gathering places should promote good health practices, and when necessary, we can provide alternative programming for those who are most at risk or isolated.

We encourage communities of faith to

·       seek and share stories from those most affected by the virus, praying with our kin around the world

·       challenge, clarify and correct all comments about COVID-19 that are prejudiced or racist or promoting unnecessary fear

·       practise and model washing our hands often, coughing or sneezing into our sleeves, and avoiding touching our face or the faces of those who are most vulnerable

·       educate community members on how they can prevent the spread of viruses”

Prayer

“Our faithful response of compassion and prevention needs to be surrounded and guided by our continual prayer for the well-being of all people. May we continue to collaborate and learn from health care professionals as we seek ways to honor and respect all people at all times.”

“Mission & Service partners in China express their thanks for our prayers and support. Funds contributed by the United Church have helped provide much-needed medical supplies, disinfectant, protective clothing, and food items on the ground in Hubei Province.

Mission & Service partner the China Christian Council (CCC) recently wrote to the United Church:

“We would like to express our sincere thanks to all of our friends praying for and supporting China and Hubei. […] Now the epidemic is basically under control, but there are still many patients in hospital. The CCC is continuing to ship medical supplies for hospitals in Wuhan. […] We are very concerned about the situation in other countries and we call on all Christians in China to pray for the medical experts and patients of the world.”

Mission & Service partner the Amity Foundation has been actively working since January 2020 to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak, supporting hospitals and communities in fighting the virus. On March 4, they reported delivering more than 470 tons of disinfection supplies, two specially designed ambulances, 1,000 sets of respirators, 23 ventilators, 10,000 virus sampling test tubes, 8,400 packages of food and much more.

The supplies were delivered to more than 300 hospitals and medical centers in 14 cities in Hubei and Jiangsu Province.”

Back home in Athabasca United Church, unless you know you've contacted someone who is currently quarantined, OR you have a fever with cough or breathing troubles, OR you are in a high risk group, I encourage you to continue to participate in the life of the church in whichever way you see fit. Personally, I will be washing my hands more often prior to Sunday worship. We may change the way we serve communion, count the offering, have coffee time after church, and pass the peace. (with thanks to Rev. Murray Speer, Canmore United for some of this)

The scriptures tell that Jesus's care of lepers and the sick focused on the fear of illness, not the illness itself, and such fear was to be resisted.  The bible is full of commands to not be afraid, not even of death itself. In historical times of plague and outbreak, Christians and churches continued showing compassion with the most outcast and ill.

We are commanded to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  Only your personal faith can tell you whether staying home is the most loving thing for you to do, or whether continuing to boldly show hospitality in the face of human tragedy is the most loving response. We are also disciples of Jesus, and it is wise to take precautions against the spread of disease. But it is just as true that together we are the body of Christ called to serve those most in need in however we can. 

Wishing you peace, wisdom and strength,

Rev. Monica

Oh Creator God, you whose son embraced lepers, welcomed prostitutes and ate with tax collectors,
who healed with compassion,
be with us all in this time of fear.
Help us be still and know that You are our God.
Help us to discern wisdom to deal with these challenging times.
Help us to have the courage to face the news,
the compassion to care for others regardless of where they travel or live, and the faith to remember that
in life, in death, in life beyond death,
you are with us, we are not alone.
Thanks be to You oh Holy ground of all our being! Amen.