Sunday Morning Worship

I hope to see you on Sunday at 10:30 am. Many will watch via livestream, Sunday or another day. We are grateful to our AV team: Barry Paton, Rob Steeves, Steve Morley, Glen Knapp, & Penny Allen. Here is a link to the service:

Bargain Bonanza Update: You’ve been dropping off your donations, we have great things to offer for sale. Thank you! Storage space is filling up, thus we may need to push up the cut off date for donations to Sunday, May 12. Please bring your donations in sooner rather than later! There are also sign-up sheets outside the sanctuary, seeking volunteers to help organize, price, and oversee the various sections of the bonanza. Please consider signing up. The more, the merrier! Thank you! Louisa Duck

A major disconnect between our experience of church and the first Christian community is how we view food and meals. We see food as a menu of choices, we select on the basis on availability, taste, allergies, affordability. Then, the church was focused on dietary laws, what they were allowed to eat, what was forbidden. Now we eat to supply our bodies with nutrition and energy, possibly a taste we crave or to mark a special event. Then, meals were an expression of gratitude, those who at the table had been selected with consideration, signifying their status.

In our story for today, Cornelius the Centurion, a Gentile, had a vision to send for an apostle of Jesus named Peter. Peter, a devout Jew and follower of Jesus, had a vision too. Peter was praying on the roof of his friend's house, he was hungry. He fell into a trance and saw a sheet being lowered down from heaven filled with the foods good Jews were not allowed to touch or eat. A voice was heard, "Get up Peter, kill and eat." Peter's response, "By no means Lord! You know I can't eat what is profane and unclean!" There was a counter-response, "What God has made, you must not call profane." Peter said, 'Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?' He baptized them and invited them to stay for several days.

When Peter declared, "God shows no partiality" he opened-up the possibility that everyone is welcome in the family of faith. Isn’t that our mission, then, now and always, to welcome, to include?

a place to rest

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Making me lie down in green pastures; leading me beside still waters; restoring my soul. Leading me in right paths for the Lord’s sake. Psalm 23 (Photo by Brian Williams)

It's almost impossible to say anything new about Psalm 23. The final line of the Psalm that says, "goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life" might be better translated (as Eugene Peterson does in The Message translation) "goodness and mercy shall track me down.”

Yet, while reading it, I was reminded of a story the author Anne Lamott wrote about in her book Traveling Mercies. Lamott recounts in this book a time of her life that was particularly hard--a time of struggle with addictions. Here's the longer passage from the Lamott book: “After a while, as I lay there, I became aware of someone with me, hunkered down in the corner, and I just assumed it was my father, whose presence I had felt over the years when I was frightened and alone. The feeling was so strong that I actually turned on the light for a moment to make sure no one was there–of course, there wasn’t. But after a while, in the dark again, I knew beyond any doubt that it was Jesus. Finally, I fell asleep, and in the morning, he was gone. This experience spooked me badly, but I thought it was just an apparition, born of fear and self-loathing and booze. But then everywhere I went, I had the feeling that a little cat was following me, wanting me to reach down and pick it up, wanting me to open the door and let it in. But I knew what would happen: you let a cat in one time, give it a little milk, and then it stays forever. So I tried to keep one step ahead of it, slamming my houseboat door when I entered or left. After going to church that weekend, I began to cry and left before the Benediction, and I raced home and felt the little cat running at my heels, and I walked down the dock past dozens of potted flowers, under a sky as blue as one of God’s own dreams, and I opened the door to my houseboat, and I stood there a minute, and then I hung my head and said ‘I quit.’ I took a long deep breath and said out loud, ‘All right. You can come in.’

I pray that goodness and mercy will track you down—wherever you may find yourself. May you find a place to rest, restore, renew.

sidewalk thoughts

I see a lot of shirts adorned with the words “Be Kind”. People will lament, “what happened to good manners, to being polite”. I don’t believe in “the good old days” (good for whom). Many things are better today than in the past (think race/religion/gender). But we are far less patient than we used to be, and we get angry as a result. I think this has to do with technology, which is, by and large, a good thing. Technology means we can get what we want, when we want it, and if the item is not exactly as we want it, we can send it back and get another item in no time. We are accustomed to getting what we want. And when the service, the item, is delayed, we get frustrated, we blame someone.

I feel badly for first time workers, at fast food restaurants. I recently heard a family berating a teenager because, “we didn’t order pickles, why are there pickles on my burger!” Obviously, a little “Golden Rule” helps, imagine you are the one being spoken to this way. At church, when people are critical of volunteers, I remind them how challenging it is to be a volunteer, how the intentions of these hard working people are so focused on community. Rather than recite a rule, I remind the critic what the volunteer is offering, see if that makes a difference. I remember, in a previous church, a man was very upset because his pancake was overcooked. I said at the customer, “Here is $5, to reimburse you for your costs, I am taking it from my wallet as I am the only paid person here, the man who cooked your pancake is 85, he loves his church and the community, he has been here since 7:30 am.” He declined the $5.

Being kind feels passive. Being kind seems like the least we can offer. The same goes for respect. Surely, we can offer each other genuine interest, to help, and if we don’t have time or resources to help as the other requests, to say “I wish you all the best”. It all comes back to love, grace-filled love. We care not because the other deserves it or it is fair, but because we were made to love, to be loved. Life is a gift, we didn’t earn life or love, it was given. I feel compelled to love, as it is what I was made for. Do I always live into this? No. But that is what prayer is for, a reminder of who I am, who the other is, what we were made for.

planning for imperfection

This photo, taken by my friend Brian Williams, reveals something we know to be true, though there is no proof. Experiences, items, relationships, don’t need to be perfect to be beautiful/wonderful. In fact, there is a part of me that prefers the “less than perfect” in all art forms. I shared with Dave and Ann this past weekend at their wedding rehearsal, “there will be miscues, things will not go according to plan, and that is OK, those moments will be some of the things we remember and cherish.” At our wedding the moment I most remember was Victor and Tony (playing the harmonica and accordion), shooing away the Bishop who married us, they had not completed their set of old Gospel tunes.

I like to be prepared. I am a planner. I don’t like messiness to be caused by a lack of preparation. I see no contradiction to this feeling, despite enjoying the imperfect. What bothers me about the event or experience without prior thought or effort is the missed opportunity, how something could have included so much more if time had been spent considering the options, the available offerings. By procrastinating, waiting till the last minute to prepare, I feel the possibilities are narrowed, what might be is now limited by our failure to plan. However, once the plans are made, the alternatives explored, if something goes off script, I am quietly satisfied the Spirit is active and dynamic. The more planning, the more freedom to let things be, and see where events unfold.

A good example is writing a sermon. I write sermons three weeks early. “Aren’t you worried you are tying yourself to a script that won’t be flexible enough to address breaking news?” It’s the opposite, because I have done the work, read the commentaries, thought through the issue I want to address, the stores I might share, I am not stressed late in the week as Sunday approaches. If I want to, I can adjust the words, add new topics, change some of the focus, without starting from scratch.

When I celebrate the imperfect, I am not advocating for a lack of preparation. I have a list of ten things I hope to do every day. But following this list brings me a certain momentum, confidence, a feeling of accomplishing my goals. Thus, as something unexpected pops up, I feel secure in knowing I can take a stab at it. I am not worried about perfection. I am worried about inaction. One step at a time…

this little light of mine

An old acquaintance contacted me a while back, she wanted to meet, talk about her feelings, she was “out of sorts” (her words). We met at a coffee shop. She arrived first. As I was parking my car, I could see her watching me, her face demonstrated concern. As I was using my credit card on the meter she was standing beside me, “do you know how to do this?”. She meant to be helpful. It reminded me, when we are feeling low, it is easier to look at others and attempt to “fix them” than spend the time we need on ourselves. Often, when people come to see me about challenges they face, the first 10 minutes are spent detailing what others are doing wrong. We prefer to diagnose others than ourselves.

I sometimes get caught up in that common human response to “feeling out of sorts”. I am not a control person, but I can see where a community challenge is leading, how it will play out, how the words and actions of today will be understood years from now. I want to protect people from themselves, “history will not be kind to this effort of yours”. But at a certain point, it is their legacy, not mine. I can share Martin Luther King’s words, “"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice”, but if folks desire to press on, there is not much more for me to say or do. I have enough of my own stuff to work on, I am not everyone’s fixer. I don’t want to be trying to fix others if I am not fixing me.

Brian Williams’ self-portrait

Thank God for those who care about us, who can rescue us from ourselves. If we choose to listen. On Sunday I was frustrated by those who choose to hug me without permission, as if it is their right to do so. It’s strange to hear the people who talk diversity assume those of us who don’t like people in our space are odd. So much for understanding. But as we gathered on Sunday night to worship my “rant” was excessive, overly negative, cranky even. My friend Brian waited for a break in the rant, then said, “For our Ministry of Music let’s sing This Little Light of Mine…” And we did. It was a reminder to me, of my own advice to others, when feeling “out of sorts” remember what connects us, makes us whole, brings us healing. As we sang, I felt a deep sense of peace. All I could think of was Matthew 7:3, “Why do you see the speck in your neighbour's eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” Before we fix others, we need to work on ourselves. And like you, I have work to do…

embrace/avoid

I hope to see you Tuesday at 7 pm for the 12th and final week of our Faith Study, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible. Some join us in-person (Chapel), others join via the ZOOM platform https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88522517327 Meeting ID: 885 2251 7327. This week, we are focused on the August chapter. You don’t need to read the book or attend any other session to join. This will be my last session of my last faith study at Bethany.

As I was leaving the funeral reception on Sunday for the Brunswick Street United Church service, I had a conversation with a former parishioner. He shared his recent retirement. He was looking for insight on his new life.

Here is how I anticipate moving into retirement, likely when I turn 65. Three things to avoid, three things to embrace… Avoid: 1) Conspiracies. I see people slipping into an odd paranoia, born of insecurity and resentment, talking to like-minded people, about what outside forces will do to their cherished institutions. They make ridiculous claims, that frankly they would see themselves, if not for the fact they only speak to each other and repeat fallacies as truth. 2) Celebrities. Why people spend so much time and emotional energy focused on people they do not know, will never meet, is beyond me. Surely this is time that could be directed toward those in their circles of relationships. 3) Control. Why is it people need things to go their way, entirely, so much so lonely people will choose to be isolated over being involved in community where things sometimes go their way, sometimes not, most times a compromise.

Embrace: 1) Engagement. Find community, join it, discern its strangeness and beauty, see what God is doing in this Living Puzzle, the sheer unpredictability of its composition and outcomes. 2) Excitement. Express the excitement of something joy filled. I cannot fathom why, in 2024, it is somehow less irritating to complain than it is to extoll the pleasure of a treasured moment. I make it a point to be excited about experiences that bring joy if for no other reason than most of what I hear is complaints. 3) Epiphany. Ponder the epiphanies of insight, those aha moments, when God reveals a gem of clarity, as our day comes to life.

This is what I hope my retirement looks and feels like.

suncatchers

If you missed Sunday’s service, focused on Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEQV-lVF_Rs

It was a busy Sunday for all concerned; I especially thank Louisa and the funeral and flower committees for their hard work, for their skilled work. I note Louisa has many balls in the air; the Bargain Bonanza (May 25), the April 27 wedding (congrats to Dave and Ann), and the funeral for Ross Lawley held on Sunday (please keep his family in your prayers). The choice in life; to be engaged or not, is a constant challenge in life, no matter your age (though when you are younger you are swept into involuntary challenges like education, work, and sometimes parenting).

What prevents us from engaging with our world? Sometimes, when I speak to retired people, there is a sense of frustration with things being unfair, “that’s the world today…”, as if the world 50 years ago was somehow a fairer place/time (fair for who?). And when I speak to working age folk, there is a sense of “recency bias”, like somehow the generation of people who lived through wars, an economic depression and diseases that killed thousands without warning, did not know the stress we feel. Really? It is in these moments it is good to gain perspective, to consider others are going through their own set of challenges, “it is not all about us”.

In moments when I despair, am tired, or frustrated (my own filter is less “why don’t they do it my way” and more “why can’t they be consistent”) I seek “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, that guards my hearts and mind in Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). On the weekend I did this looking out the window in our home with three suncatchers.

The suncatchers offer glimpses of light shining through my window, creating transparent colours that spill onto surfaces, the flecks of light scattering around a room, not just reflecting light but letting light flow through it to project light somewhere else. They offer a healing effect on my body, calming my mind, and awaking my spirit. The suncatchers bring me rays of happiness and bright energy, restoring my soul. These three; a Pitcher plant from Newfoundland (my mother’s maiden name was Pitcher), a hummingbird (treasured by my late mother) and the Blue Iris (a gift from Dave Reid), animate my most weary moments.

Sunday Morning Worship

I hope to see you on Sunday at 10:30 am. Many will watch via livestream, Sunday or another day. We are grateful to our AV team: Barry Paton, Rob Steeves, Steve Morley, Glen Knapp, & Penny Allen. Here is a link to the service:

A reminder a) there is no Coffee Hour following the church service this Sunday because b) there is a funeral for the late Ross Lawley at 2 pm.

Our story this Sunday, Acts 8:26-40, begins with “the angel of the Lord” directing Philip to a certain "wilderness road". Wilderness meant “margins”. There Philip finds the Ethiopian eunuch, a man interested enough in Israel’s God to make a pilgrimage from Ethiopia to Jerusalem, but according to Hebrew law, he is not free to practice his faith in the Temple (Deuteronomy 23:1). It’s possible that he is a Jew, but in Philip’s eyes, he is a foreigner, a Black man from Africa. What is a eunuch? Most current scholarship reveals a first century a eunuch is one of two things. A eunuch could be a man who had been castrated. This Ethiopian could have been a castrated male, or he could have been a male who wasn’t like most males. According to the scholars, men who showed a preference for other men or displayed little or no interest in women, or who were in anyway effeminate, in the first century these men were called eunuchs.

Rulers trusted eunuchs with positions in the treasury because they wouldn’t need to amass wealth to pass on to their children. While rulers entrusted eunuchs with key positions, they were shunned (outcasts) by the rest of society. The passage the Ethiopian eunuch was reading was about the Suffering Servant, who was “cut off” from the people of God. In Isaiah 56 God declares, “eunuchs who keep the Sabbath and follow the covenant will have an everlasting name and blessing, a name that shall not be cut off.” The eunuch could identify with this Suffering Servant. The eunuch asks Philip, “What is to prevent me from being baptized?”

Theologian Willie James Jennings describes the story of the eunuch this way: “Faith found the water. Faith will always find the water.” Where there appears no way, God makes a way, especially for those who feel “cut off” and “in the wilderness”. Philip followed the Spirit. Will we?

church notices

Karen Finley sent me this story that appeared in the Halifax Herald. It reminded me of the quote, “If your church were to disappear tomorrow, would anyone in the community around you notice it was gone?” (Timothy Keller). Here are two examples of “they would notice” answers.

Bargain Bonanza Update: We need folks to organize specific sections of the Bonanza on May 25th. The tables arrive Tuesday, May 21st. We can start setting-up Wednesday, May 22nd. We need people to look after individual sections of the Bonanza, setting up and pricing items to be ready for the 25th!  Please sign up on sheets on the bulletin board outside the sanctuary or contact me (Louisa). The Barbecue needs one large grill or two small grills to cook hot dogs and sausages that day. Please let me know if you’re able to help us out with the loan of a grill. The sign-up sheet for the barbecue is on the bulletin board if you’d like to join the cooking crew that day. Thank you for your continued support for this event and our Sunday School! Contact me at Louisa.duck@gmail.com

April 28th is Camping Sunday. Maybe you can recall your own memories and experiences of church camping. The ARTHUR KIDSTON MEMORIAL CAMP provides a safe and happy summer camping experience to kids aged 5 to 16 where they can explore their unique talents through opportunities to unplug and connect with friends, outdoor adventures, and faith exploration. This cannot happen without your generosity. There are many ways to share your gifts and skills: Donate via our Canada Helps page, Join Lawton's/Sobey's MHCSI Pharmacy Program. Donate program supplies. Another way you can consider lending a hand is by becoming a “Camper Sponsor.” At Kidston, we believe no child should miss out, just because of financial concerns. Thanks to the generosity of our community members, volunteers, and donors, Kidston’s Sponsorship Fund offers a helping hand to campers and families who otherwise might not be able to come to camp. We ask families contribute what they can toward their camper’s fees, we work with our donors to cover the rest. Should you have any questions, please email director@campkidston.com On Sunday, we have a “CAMPING POT" out to collect loose change/cash to be directed to this fund supported by our Local Outreach Committee. Please give as you are able.

hospitality

I know you have been keeping the Lawley family in your prayers. I have been connecting with Gordon on a regular basis, we discuss the profound grief he and his family are feeling since Ross died on Easter Sunday. Here is Ross’ obituary which includes an opportunity to leave words for the family. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/halifax-ns/ross-lawley-11755356 I have been following these kind offerings from friends. I am also attaching the bulletin for the funeral service, held at Bethany this Sunday at 2 pm. If you are not able to be with us in person, here is the livestream link:

We are also cancelling Coffee Hour for Sunday April 28th as we will need to prepare the Fellowship Hall for the arrival of Lawley family members at 12:30 pm. Given the long-standing relationship between the Lawley family and the Coffee Hour ministry at Bethany we know the congregation will understand and support this decision. The ministry of hospitality, how it is offered following a worship service, is one of Bethany’s great strengths, due in no small part to the legacy of Gordon and the late Mary Lawley. I remember conversations with Ross about his sense of inheritance when his mother died. “My mother’s Christian faith was a constant source of guidance to us. We saw it lived out in our midst.”

Hospitality is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated gifts of the Christian faith/church. As an ordained minister for 34 years, I have seen some in the church offer personal, genuine, heart-felt connection, a sense of belonging, to newcomers. It is truly a gift, and as Christians we know this offering comes from Christ’s guidance and example (Luke 14). But like Luke 14 (which I quote at every wedding) that hospitality is most in line with Christ’s example when it is offered to strangers, persons who come from backgrounds not necessarily like ours. Persons who offer this unique hospitality, like Glen and Carol, Tina and Pierre (two couples who embody this gift, inspirations to me) go deeper than the bonds of the familiar. Jesus tells the host in Luke 14 to fill the empty seats at the banquet with those from the street, people not often invited out.

Keeping in balance, the “ties than bind” and “looking for those not often invited to any table”, are the signs of the deepest form of Christian hospitality. Sitting at the table with you

history

Consider Matthew 25, titled in most Bibles “The Last Judgment”.

When the Son of God comes and all the angels, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered… Matthew 25:31-32

Recently, at a Session meeting, I asked the Elders what topics they would like me to address in a sermon. Most told me they liked my topic selection but several mentioned forgiveness. I recently preached about forgiveness (Lent) and wrote about it in a few blogs of late. I want to offer a perspective on forgiveness you may not come across. Most of what I hear, when people speak of forgiveness, is personal. When I began my ministry, most wanted to know how to forgive themselves. Now, it’s about how to forgive what others have done to us. Obviously, persons harmed in a traumatic way need therapy, counselling. I recommend it.

Consider where others have been harmed by larger social forces, how our indifference and/or active participation has contributed to lingering injustice. I recently walked through Pier 21 and witnessed an exhibit on the Lee family who lived in a subdivision I walked through for decades. I listened to a recording of family members, my age, speak of names they were called, how they were made to feel. This history is my lifetime, my neighbourhood. It got me thinking, how will history judge me? At the end of my life, what will my child think of how I responded to the issues of my time? I often wonder how my grandparents responded to Halifax racism, harmful and pointless Protestant-Catholic rivalry. How will 20-somethings judge us for our treatment of the Queer community, climate change? And when we consider our churches, how will history look at us? When we righteously judge our forbears for their social sins, don’t forget our children-grandchildren will be doing likewise. Forgiveness comes to mind.

We are all broken people, all flawed, me as much as anyone. I pray for forgiveness for those moments when I failed to live up to the challenges of our time. But it’s not too late. We have time to do our part, to act.

“And the master will answer, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these of mine, you did it to me” Matthew 25:40