I asked for awe ... God Gave Me Wonder ...

In July, while we were in Port Hardy, the Community that is St Columba Anglican/United Church asked me to share in their worship life. I prepared two reflection that were largely based on the experience of the journey we've shared here in Minnedosa. Though I was on a leave from official Church duties, this was like talking to a group of friends and sharing with them the incredible journey of Resurrection that has marked our path since the horrible event of February 12th ...

Since that moment when my phone rang and I was told our beloved Sanctuary was aflame, I have been overwhelmed with gratitude and awe at the responses of people from all over ... recently I was told that my tone has not always reflected that ... I was deeply saddened to hear that. I have had nothing but awe, wonder and a profound sense of gratitude since the fire ... It has, as Dickens once said - "been the best of times and the worst of times ..." but mainly, thanks to the support, care and faithful actions of countless people, it has been a time wherein the blessing have flowed all over the floor in abundance.

My thoughts in early July follow ... Looking back ... I truly been overwhelmed by the generosity we've experienced on the journey ... I think I just got too busy and too preoccupied to pause, to take of my shoes, to savour the moment, and to say - "Thanks ..." But hey - better late, then never: THANKS TO ONE AND ALL ... you've made the journey a wonderful experience inspite of the hurt and the pain ... and it is a journey just begun ...

“In the storms of life …Do Not Be Afraid …”

It is interesting for me to consider that I first preached on these lectionary readings, some five lectionary cycles ago (that would be 1991 – to save you doing the math in your head) … And in the summer of 1991, I was here … as a summer intern student as I moved my way through the process towards ordination.

Now each time I encounter the reading of David and Bathsheba I am carried back to that summer 15 years ago, and more specifically, I remember Edith Cadwallader offering me her take on King David and that temptress Bathsheba. Any time I encounter the story of David and Bathsheba, I can picture and hear Edith giving me HER take on things (I’ve been scarred for life) … it was clear to Edith that it was ALL Bathsheba’s fault … David was faultless … David was duped.

However you slice this story up and examine it, it is clear that the story of David and Bathsheba is a story of choices … bad choices compounded with bad choices, made worse with still more bad choices …

A lot has gone on in my life over those 15 years since I first debated and argued with Edith … Heck, a lot has gone on since we last met here a year ago … I have found myself at the blunt end of some bad choices that were compounded by bad choices and made worse by still more bad choices …

In recent days I’ve read a commentary on the Hebrew Scriptures that, like many of us, wrestled with what to do with this story. How did someone so highly regarded make such a heel of himself. Not only did David spy on Bathsheba, he summoned her to the palace, he slept with her, got her pregnant, then when his attempts to trick Uriah, had the poor and loyal soldier killed – all to cover up his actions …

How could the mighty and powerful and chosen by God, David do such things?? How can we still regard him as a noble and wonderful person when we know what he is capable of – and in the case of this story, see it for ourselves??
What do we do with David and his slip ups??

In many respects, David represents in a vivid way – real life …

We all make mistakes, we all screw up … we all end up doing things we wish desperately we could undo. It’s what we do with those moments that makes the difference.

The story of David and Bathsheba is clearly NOT David’s finest hour. It remains an embarrassment for modern theologians. Yet, in the story we can see and hear and experience the first stirrings of redemption and even resurrection.

On February 12th 2006, the community of Minnedosa United Church began walking a journey of resurrection. It was NOT out choice. It was foisted upon us by the actions of three misguided young people and a can of gasoline …

At two minutes to six on February 12th our phone rang for the second time that morning … Mag and I tend to ignore early morning phone calls – they are usually for her – calling her to pick up a shift at work. I got up and headed down stairs only to get to the phone when the machine picked up and the caller hung up … as I came down the stairs though, I could smell smoke. NOT a good thing in a 100 year old house … The phone rang a third time and I picked it up … it was exactly 2 minutes to 6 in the morning.

The voice on the other end said – “Shawn. Bob (the editor of the local paper), your Church is on fire … you better get down here …” I muttered something about “tell me you’re kidding …”
He wasn’t.

I threw on some clothes and tore down the street … as I stepped out my front door and looked northward towards the down town I saw a HUGE column of smoke rising over our still dark and sleeping town …

When I pulled up behind the church and saw flames flickering through the stained glass windows of the choir stall, I knew it wasn’t going to be good … By 7 am the roof of our 105 year old sanctuary was breached and the flames consumed in its entirety the sanctuary that had been built by the Presbyterians and that had been added to and renovated no less then 10 times over the last Century … The Sanctuary that had survived storms, floods and the passage of 105 years was in a matter of five hours reduced to a smouldering foundation filled with shattered wood, blackened bricks and the tattered remains of hymn books, Sunday school supplies, nursery school toys, games and shoes and the destroyed belongings of Cubs, Scouts, Sparks, Beavers, Brownies, Guides, and most painful of all was the loss of a three year old electronic organ, a new piano and hundreds upon hundreds of pieces of choral music …

Later that morning, we met in the basement of the Catholic Church where over coffee and cookies, our congregation met to weep, to rage and to shake their heads in disbelief … at 11 am, I came and brought a borrowed chalice and a half frozen loaf of bread … we celebrated communion and affirmed that we ARE a resurrection people.

Being a resurrection people means that moments like our fire, do not spell the end of our hopes and our aspirations.

Being a resurrection people means that we confront death and loss and moments when life takes a jagged turn with faith …

We pick up the pieces … we gather what we can … and we take a tentative step forward. Even when, in cases like David, when it is OUR own actions that have landed us in the soup, we take one hesitant step forward, knowing – no – believing that we WILL experience a resurrection. Knowing and believing that God will see us through the process of picking up the pieces and carrying on.

It’s about trust … trust in God, trust in ourselves, trust in our circle of family and friend.

Yet, trust is a funny thing. In moments of grief, when the pieces are scattered across the floor, it’s hard to imagine that we will again find a moment when things are “okay” and we again feel whole. But that process of carrying on demands a great deal of trust. But in our faith journey – there is an abundance of trust …

It is trust that Jesus called on when, sitting amongst a vast crowd, he manages to feed a vast multitude of people. Now, I am not one inclined to believe in hocus-pocus kinds of miracles. Instead I am more prone to take William Barclay’s lead and see this miracle as a massive change of heart …

IN Jesus day, you traveled prepared. It’s easy in a time and place where people often pack with them bottles of dasani water, or neoprene containers of cooler water, to recall that in Jesus day people traveling from village to village carried food and water with them. There were no walk-thrus or take outs. If you didn’t bring your own food – you might well starve. And you couldn’t travel far without water before dehydration set in …

So that day on the hillside, Jesus asked people to share their food.

Had I been in the crowd, I might have a chunk of dried fish and a couple of pita breads. But I’m not about to take it out and eat it, when the guy over there doesn’t have anything. Because if I share it, I won’t have enough … and all through the crowd people are thinking the same thing. You and you and you and you … all of you have food, but you don’t want to bring it out in case those beside you don’t and then you’d be obligated to share and … well, what’s a couple of hunks of bread and slice of dried fish for 5000 people ????

So we stay quiet … until a little boy steps up and say – “Sir, I’ll share my lunch …”
Then in the twinkling of an eye the crowd is transformed … “well, if the little kid can share his lunch, I guess I can too …” and out comes dozens and dozens of lunch … so much so, that there are baskets of food left over when everyone has eaten their fill …

In Minnedosa, the Catholic Church quickly stepped up and offered us their building until we get back on our feet. All of the other churches in town offered us space – but the Catholic Church worships at 9, allowing us to continue with our 11 am worship services. In time, other offers of help came - our Anglican sisters and brothers, who should be doing this for themselves, held a fundraising potluck dinner and gave us close to 1400 dollars … the Covenant Church held two special services over the Easter weekend and donated to our building fund … The stories of generousity became and continue to be legion … from all over Canada, and indeed the world came donations …

Some stood out for me. An envelope written in pencil with a note saying this was to help rebuild – a little girl sending what she could. A typed letter from a priest, now retired who was serving at St Boniface Cathedral in Winnipeg when it burned down in the late 1960’s … letters from churches who like us had lost their buildings to fire … cards from people who were touched by our story …

All around us, lunches were being shared – literally … and the crowd was being transformed. Offers of help, donations of money and gifts of hymn books, banners, collection plates and even a baptismal font … each day brought something new. Each day we were offered support and care from the crowd … people slowly pulled out what they had and shared. And the community of Minnedosa walked forward in trust. Trust in God, trust in themselves, trust in each other.

Over and over, I have continued to say – “we are a resurrection people,” we are a people who are transformed, renewed and recreated by faith …

Our building burned down – but the Church didn’t. We say it regularly as a people – we sing it – “The Church is NOT a building, the Church is not a steeple, The church is NOT a meeting place – the Church is A people …” and since February 12th we’ve lived that reality …

I wish I could say it has been an easy journey and everything has happened smoothly, but you and I both know life just ain’t like that. And a community can’t go through the destruction and loss of something as important and as central as its Church structure without lingering effects, and unexpected effects … we’ve had them. We’re still having them. We’re going to continue to have them for quite awhile … but … BUT … even though the trust was at times stretched and tested – the journey forward continues …

In June, I sat in the court room in Minnedosa along with a handful of others and we listened to the Crown read into the record the events of that horrid night. He noted that it began with the three involved making the choice to sit in the cemetery in Minnedosa and drink … then they started making their choices – bad choices … and each choice was compounded by more bad choices … and by dawn on February 12th, they were responsible for burning down the heritage structure that for 105 years, Minnedosa United Church called home …

By the end of that day, the three were sentenced to sentences ranging form 22 to 36 months … (not long enough for many) … and we were left knowing that they didn’t really see anything wrong with what they did. They took no responsibility for their actions or their choices ... and therein lies the redeeming quality of David and Bathsheba …

David messed up – in a BIG, BIG way … but David, when his house of cards fell, took responsibility for his actions. David alone stood before God and the prophet Nathan and took ownership of this mess … It didn’t undo it, it didn’t unring the bell, to use a contemporary term. But David took responsibility for his misstep, thereby offering to us an example of how to live in real life …

There will be no resurrection without responsibility. The crux of Christian theology is a call to God for help – not rescue – but help … When life takes an unexpected turn – and it does – we call out to God and seek God’s healing and help and guidance – not a divine hand that will lift us out of the muck we’ve created for ourselves. Resurrection means picking up the pieces, not rewinding the clock …

David may not be the most shining example of virtue (sorry Edith) … but he is human like the rest of us. He tried really hard … and sometimes that is all we can do … to try really hard and leave the rest in the hands of God …

We ARE a resurrection people … It is about more then hope – it is certainty that we will experience renewal and transformation – that is the promise of our faith … In that we can not only trust, but believe.
May it be so – thanks be to God … let us pray …

Thoughts for the day ...

Awe is more than an emotion; it is a way of understanding, an insight into a meaning greater then ourselves. The beginning of awe is wonder, and the beginning of wisdom is awe ...

... awe is a sense of the transcendence, the reference everywhere to mystery beyond all things ...

... awe precedes faith; awe is the root of faith ...

- adapted from Rabbi Abraham J. Heschel

Here's hoping you have a truly awe-filled day ...

It's a good day to just dance ...

One of my favourite images from my childhood is Snoopy dancing with joyous abandon ... Later Calvin and Hobbes rockin to the beat joined that image ... but Snoopy just doing a Happy Dance has always cheered me up ... Today is one of those days ...

It's a good day to just do a Happy Dance ... The sun is shining and it is good ... it is all good ...

We are not alone ...

Today in the court house in Minnedosa Lorraine McKay rose, and on behalf of the Board, the Congregation and the staff of Minnedosa United Church read the victim impact statement that had been prepared in early May.

She did an incredible job standing in a fairly full courtroom sharing the thoughts that Linda Bertram (the Board Chair), myself and a host of others helped to craft in an attempt to summarize the impact the fire of February 12th had on us and our community:

What follows is the statement:

Minnedosa United Church
PO Box 1499 Minnedosa Manitoba R0J 1E0
Phone: 204 867 2674 Fax: 204 867 1968
Email: mdsauc@mts.net
Web: http://minnedosaunited.blogspot.com/

May 10th 2006

To Whom it May Concern:

The Victims’ Impact Statement of Minnedosa United Church:

Dear Judge:

Early on in the days following the fire of February 12th 2006, that destroyed the 105 year old Sanctuary of Minnedosa United Church, a United Church clergy person described the role of the building in the life of the Church as the club house in which we store our stuff and gather to build our community. We have said over and over since the fire, that the Church didn’t burn, our building did. The Church is the people, not the building. Yet, within that statement is an understanding that the physical building, as a safe haven, as a sanctuary wherein we find God’s presence, as a physical presence in our community, is an important part of who and what we are as a Church.
As the early morning fire consumed the building that for 105 years has been the place where the community that is Minnedosa United Church gathered, worshipped and played, a wide variety of emotions washed over the people who stood quietly on the street horrified to witness the loss of our club house. Some of us wept, some of us shook our heads in disbelief, and some of us simply looked away. The process of assessing the impact of this fire on the community of Minnedosa, and the community that is Minnedosa United Church, has only just begun. It may take years before we fully realize what impact this fire has had on us, on our community and on our worship life. The loss of a heritage structure and its contents has been challenging enough; the loss of our spiritual home and the stored mementoes has only added to the feelings of outrage, grief and sadness that we continue to feel.
So, where do you begin to describe the impact that the destruction of a 105 year old sanctuary space has on the lives of the people who worshipped there, the community in which it stood and the people who looked to it as more than just a Church?
The wanton destruction of the building was bad enough. The gaping hole on Main St in Minnedosa where for over a Century, the building that housed Minnedosa United Church stood is a reminder of what once was, and what was lost. The loss of a sacred space has been significant and potent.
Also deeply connected to the physical loss of the structure is the very real threat the fire itself posed to the lives and safety of the Volunteer Fire Department members, and adjacent structures. The use of an accelerant showed a complete contempt for the Church building and a blatant disregard for the safety of the volunteer fire fighters from both Minnedosa and Rapid City who fought valiantly to save the building.
So how do we begin to put into words the impact this callous action has had on the people of Minnedosa United Church and the people of Minnedosa and beyond who looked to the building as something more than just a Church?

We could begin by tallying our losses, but in the long lists that we’ve compiled of lost items and treasures and mementoes we haven’t even begun to tally the impact of those losses.
How do we assess the loss of a Pulpit Bible that bore the names of six young men who died on the Battlefields of Europe and never felt the prairie sunshine when the war ended in 1918? How do we assess the loss of this Pulpit Bible, from a Church that no longer exists, that reminds us of the cost of war even in small towns like Minnedosa?
How do we assess the loss of banners, hangings, plaques and Honour Rolls that hung on the walls of the Sanctuary, given as gifts and memorials of those who no longer walk among us?
How do we assess the loss of the many stained glass windows that graced our sanctuary space that were donated over the years in remembrance of those saints who have gone on before us? How do we assess the loss of the physical windows as well as the hours of work and thousands of dollars that went into their maintenance and the recent restoration of the Minnedosa Pioneer Heritage Window that is now nothing more then a memory?
How do we assess the loss of shoes, toys and supplies for the children of Nursery School, Cubs, Guides, Beaver and Sparks? How do we even begin to explain to the children of our community the loss of the building and the treasures that are part of their lives? How do we even begin to tell a child the reasons for this callous and cowardly action that has deprived so many of so much?
How do we assess the loss of thousands and thousands of sheets of choral music purchased and gathered over the many years by the choir? How do we assess the loss of the anthems, the choir gowns and the mementoes and awards that have been earned and gathered by the various choirs that have filled the sanctuary and the community with music over the years? How do we assess the feeling of disconnectedness and homelessness experienced by the volunteers who serve in our choir? How do we assess the impact having to practice in one building, while worshipping in another has on those who for years have gathered and sung as a community within our congregation? How do we assess lugging boxes of heavy hymn books from one facility to another for practices and services?

How do we assess the challenges imposed upon the choir now with the loss of their vast repertoire of music? Today, when the choir is called upon to share an anthem at a Funeral or during a Special Worship service the ability to choose suitable pieces is severely hampered by the loss of their library through a cowardly action done in the cover of darkness.
How do we even begin to assess the impact this action has had on the volunteer groups like the AOTS Mens’ Club and the UCW within our congregation? Both groups have long histories of service and meetings within our building. In additions to the countless dinners, lunches and teas they have presided at for our community, the groups themselves have lost innumerable items and mementoes that mark their histories among us.
How do we assess the loss of the furnishings that were donated, created, restored and lovingly maintained by generations of people who gathered in this place? The list of lost items has grown very long. From hymn books to pianos, to pews to tables and pictures, as we remember our building, we continue to remember what it is that we’ve lost …
How do we assess the emotional impact of gathering in a borrowed worship space because a cowardly action deprived us of the place we called home for over a century?
Hundreds of weddings, baptisms, funerals and weekly worship services have been held in the Sanctuary. Thousands of sandwiches, cookies, cups of tea or coffee have been passed around the meeting spaces. Tens of thousands of memories have been lived and cherished since the doors of the building opened in 1901. Yet, within this, to say we lost a 105 year old building denies the reality of that space as a living and ever changing entity.
How many hundreds of volunteer hours have gone into the renovations and ongoing maintenance of the building?
How many thousands of dollars have been fund raised to pay for improvements and upgrades to keep the building current and community friendly?
How many community functions, gatherings and groups have been rendered homeless by the callous action of burning down the Church?

The list could go on and on. The question of “WHY?” looms very large in the hearts and minds of people who have called this building home. But no answer will satiate the ache that is felt every time we cast our eyes on the vacant lot on Main St and realize what it is that the Church and the Community in Minnedosa has lost.
We say that the Church is not the building, but in a time like this when a building burns and is lost, we begin to realize how important that building was.
It will take years to realize how fully the loss of the building has impacted us. Some moments where the impact of the fire hit home follow:

This past Easter Season, we were forced to gather to worship in the chapel of a local funeral home and in the elementary school. As the services drew near we faced the challenge of holding our services with the loss of many of the items we used in our worship. From the black clothes we drape over the worship space, to the rough hewn wooden cross that stood in the front of the sanctuary as a reminder of our Easter faith, many of the items we took for granted were gone.
This spring, many families in Minnedosa were inconvenienced by the loss of 1200 pounds of non-perishable food stored for the use of the Community Food Cupboard.
Resuming our Sunday School programmes will be a challenge with the loss of every craft supply, every resource, every curriculum and every shred of paper that had been gathered and donated over the years.
Every week we gather to worship in a Church that is not our own and we are forced to carry and move what we need to hold and celebrate our faith. Each funeral we are called to preside over presents a host of challenges as we have to move a wide variety of items for every element of the service and fellowship tea.
The loss of the building has been and continues to be an enormous loss. We will in time rebuild, but as we journey our way forward we find ourselves scrambling to continue to do what we were about in our life and ministry until the early morning hours of February 12th 2006 when the community of Minnedosa and the Church that is Minnedosa United, lost an old friend.
In the beautiful sanctuary of the building, and in its meeting spaces hundreds of thousands of hours of life, death and faith were shared, and while we say and believe the Church is NOT the building, the building was an important part of our faith journey together, and today we grieve its loss as we would grieve the loss of a friend.
As a faith community we gather in the face of loss and proclaim our certainty in the Resurrection. This is a fundamental understanding of our common Christian Faith. In times of distress we look to God for strength, courage and the first stirrings of the resurrection. We know that the resurrection will come. In this we ground our faith. But currently, as a community and as individuals we have found it challenging to simply pick ourselves up and move forward.
Our faith in God and the unfailing presence of God in our lives and in our faith community has been what since that bitter cold morning of February 12th, has helped us moved forward. In times of distress it is our faith that gives us the strength and courage to take the next step and to begin moving into the uncertainty of the future. Those who have never experienced a healthy, life giving faith may fail to comprehend the importance of faith beyond the institution of the Church, but for the community that is Minnedosa United Church our faith in God is what has carried us forward this far and will carry us along into the future that is unfolding around us.
There is little doubt that in time we will rebuild, and we will again have a place that is our own. But right now the ideas of resurrection, forgiveness and love are a bitter presence on our tongue. The hurt experienced by this senseless and cowardly act simply runs too deep …

The impact of this fire will continue for many, many months to rumble and resonate throughout our lives and the lives of those in the community who looked to the lovely old white church on Main Street for a myriad of things … This letter touches on those things that we had time to think of in the busy-ness of continuing to live and worship and function as a Church community. In the early morning darkness of February 12th 2006, a deliberately set fire burned the building that housed Minnedosa United Church to the ground. The building was lost, but the Church remained. The challenge we as a community of faith now face is continuing our ministry to the people of Minnedosa and area is continuing to worship and work without a sanctuary of our own in which we can gather and maintain the community that is central to our faith journey. That simple fact alone, impacts our lives and the lives of our community in ways we have only just begun to understand.
Perhaps one day those responsible for this fire will appreciate and understand the senselessness of their action and the depth of pain felt by those who called Minnedosa United Church home.

On behalf of the Congregation and the Board of Minnedosa United Church, we respectfully submit this letter as an attempt to assess the ongoing impact the fire of February 12th 2006 has had on the members, adherents and the community around our Church Congregation.

Yours Sincerely,

Rev. Shawn Ankenmann
Clergy

Linda Bertram
Board Chair

Minnedosa United Church

See you in the Fall ...

And so today my time of leave taking begins ...

This website will fall silent due to the conditions of understanding that have been crafted by the leave ...

My sister sites remain places where thoughts and comments will be posted. I invite you to come for a visit - stay awhile and browse my writings. In recent years I've discovered the importance of my writings as a means of self-care (I was a Blogger before blogging existed - I just did it in other forms ...).

So, for now - adieu ... keep me in your prayers ... keep the folks in Minnedosa in your prayers ... and we'll talk again soon ...

For now, grab a coffee (fair trade of course), hit the link buttons below and feel free to join me on the journey ...

Prairie Preacher at United Online:
http://www.united-online.ca/index.php?ind=blog&op=home&idu=14

Prairie Preacher:
http://westmanpreacher.blogspot.com/

It's been fun - thanks for the support ...
l'chaim

Transformation Guaranteed ... reflections from Conference:

The key note speaker at the Conference AGM was Dow Edgerton, who had just publised a book entitled: "Speak to me that I may speak: a spirituality of preaching" that arrived the day of Conference and was available for sale ...

Dow presented two theme talks. I missed most of the first one running my son to the Museum to meet his class who were in Winnipeg on thier class trip ... but his second theme presentation was extraordinary. His style is easy, narrative and simply delightful - he entertains, enlightens and educations simultaneously. What follows are some highlights I jotted down of his presentation ... they may not do him justice - but they are the wisdome I gleaned from the moment:

- he spend some time on the streets of Winnipeg and noted the wide variety of ethnic backgrounds he encountered on the streets. He said that such places offer astonishing possibility, and with that comes astonishing responsibility. He went on to reflect about our need to live out and share the Gospel to a broad and diverse world ...

- he shared some reflections that came from his now grown son. He noted that one day his 4 year old son began asking some really tough questions about life and ministry and what it was his dad (a seminary professor) did. The exchange ended with his son making the observation that "if you want to be in ministry you have to know alot about love becasue God is love right?" Dow then noted like the Jewish Rabbis tell us - everything else is commentary.

- he noted that love and justice are just the inward and outward forms of faith lived out in the world - that faith flows forth from the actuality of existence - that in the hidden depths of our souls lies love which issues forth, and the deeds that love embodies are where we find and live justice.

- at the beginning of his talk Dow noted that all of the Scriptures are focused on only one commandment which is simply focused on the Love of God, the love of our Neighbour and nothing else ...

Ultimately Dow's presentation was about living our faith and sharing the love that is found within us with the world around us ... kind of makes you think it isn't a bad thing ...

l'chaim

From the shards of our lives ...

I went back to my file of photos to use this image ... it is one of the now lost stained glass windows from our Church. It fits well with the reflection I would offer on the Memorial Service held at the AGM on Saturday.

At the meeting we remembered those Saints of the Church who in the last year have gone on before us ... using a multimedia presentation we remembered by name and with pictures, those whom we've lost. It was a powerful service of Remembrance.

Throughout it, the images and the words used hearkened us to how death is very much like the shattering of glass - the shards scatter and leave us wondering what to do next ...

As the service began and the presider spoke of life and death being like glass breaking, I was taken back to the bitter cold morning following the fire when Sarah Burton and I picked through the debris that was only hours before - our Church. Our search was for any shards of glass form the glorious windows that graced our sanctuary ... we picked in the ice and snow ... we froze our finger tips and cut our hands and fingers trying to pry loose tiny coloured shards of glass ...

For all our hard work we have a small box of shards ... tiny, irregular shaped shards of glass that were once pictures of Jesus, harps, wheat sheafs, crosses and flowers ... as we picked through the debris in the bitter February cold, we hoped to slavage from the snow and ashes anything that could be used in a fresh new way to grace our new home when it rises and opens ...

Such is the power of the resurrection: Death comes and shatters our hopes, our dreams, our future ... the life we once lived is left scattered and shattered across the floor - shards of what once was ... But then we begin to pick up the pieces ... we pick through the dust and ashes, the snow and ice, and we gather what we can ... we can recreate - we can pick up the pieces and allow the light to shine through the shards ... Glorious, numinous light ...

That is the Resurrection: even in the smallest shards, the light shines through and brings beauty and colour to our world ... to pick up the pieces requires time and patience ... to craft something new demands time and creativity ... to be open to the new light combinations needs vision and faith ... And when we open our eyes, our hearts and our souls in that moment and are bathed in fresh new light, we are living the Resurrection.

May it be so ... thanks be to God ...
L'chaim

Better a bit late then not at all ...

This entry is about a week late ... it is the bulletin and sermon from last week.

This week has been a bit busy.On Thursday my three children and I went into Winnipeg for the Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Manitoba and North Western Ontario (there will be more about that here and at my other two blogs in the coming days).

I have been without access to computers since noon Thursday (suprisingly there were few withdrawal symptoms), and have been busy doing the tasks expected of us at Conference, looking after my kids at Conference, and being overwhelmed by the support and encouragement of folks at Conference who have been following the journey of Minnedosa and me, since the fire ... So, with a thanks to all of those who are regular visitors I offer my bulletin, and also the advanced warning that in a couple of days this blog will fall silent for about 90 days (or thereabouts).

Starting on Thursday I am on a Sabbatical of sorts from the duties and responsibilities of ministry here in Minnedosa. It is a leave given by the Board to give me the time and the space to rest, recover and most importantly reflect on ministry and the challenges I've encountered here lately ... (I may break my silence in June briefly following the sentencing of the three suspects in our fire - on Thursday they appeared in court, and NOW all three have plead guilty to thier part in the fire. The three will be sentenced in Minnedosa in June and following that hearing I may post an edited version of the victims' impact statement we submitted a few weeks ago ... )

But as of Thursday, this site will fall silent for a time ... but silence is good. In the First Nations Traditions I lived within for a time in Bella Coola, silence was not merely the absence of noise and talk, instead silence was a place where we can be together and simply know that God is there with us ... Wasn't it the prophets who urge us to "be still and know that I AM God ..."??

In silence we find the gift of Shalom and we find the gift of peace ...

Between now and Thursday I will post some of my reflections on the experience of Conference this past weekend in Winnipeg - and today I will offer LAST WEEK's service materials ... So, as Douglas Adams so eloquently penned: "so long and thanks for all the fish ..."

L'chaim

(and now the bulletin:)

GREETINGS / ANNOUNCEMENTS / MINUTE FOR MISSION

HYMN #217 All Creatures of Our God and King

CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Jesus said: Love one another.
ALL: WE COME TO WORSHIP GOD WHO IS LOVE,
THAT WE MAY LEARN TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
One: Jesus said: No longer do I call you servants;
now I call you my friends.
ALL: WE COME TO BEAR FRUIT,
SHARING OUR FAITH WITH EACH OTHER
LIVING OUT THE COMMANDMENTS GIVEN BY GOD.
One: Jesus said: Love one another.
ALL: WE COME TO WORSHIP GOD WHO IS LOVE,
THAT WE MAY LEARN TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER
AS WE LIVE IN LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP.
ALL: AMEN.

PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: Holy God, you called all life into being,
ALL: THE EARTH, THE SEA AND THE SKY ARE YOURS,
One: Your presence is all around us,
Your love is within us,
Your spirit enlivens us as we walk upon the earth.
ALL: WITH YOUR SPIRIT WE ARE CALLED TO LIVE OUR FAITH.
One: In the midst of hunger and war,
ALL: WE CELEBRATE THE GIFTS OF PLENTY AND PEACE.
One: In the midst of doubt and despair,
ALL: WE CELEBRATE THE GIFTS OF FAITH AND HOPE.
One: In the midst of fear and betrayal,
ALL: WE CELEBRATE THE GIFTS OF JOY AND COMMITMENT.
One: In the midst of hatred, fear and death,
ALL: WE CELEBRATE THE GIFTS OF LOVE AND LIFE.
WE CELEBRATE THE PRESENCE OF THE RISEN CHRIST.
AMEN

HYMN #593 Jesu, Jesu Fill Us With Your Love.

PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: God of Love, God of Resurrection,
We draw into your presence today yearning to touch you,
hoping to find for ourselves your presence in our lives …
ALL: WE CRY OUT TO YOU FROM A DARKENED WORLD
A WORLD THAT KNOWS THE FULLNESS
OF SUFFERING AND DEATH.
One: Merciful and Loving God,
in the light smothering darkness
we stumble forward longing for the light to break over us …
(pause)
One: Gather our lingering fears and our confusion …
ALL: MEET OUR DOUBTS
WITH COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING,
OPEN OUR EYES TO YOUR LOVE AND GRACE,
OPEN OUR EARS TO HEAR YOU CALLING TO US,
OPEN OUR SOULS TO NEW POSSIBILITIES …
HYMN #396 Jesus, Stand among Us
One: God of Grace, God of Love,
Guide us to paths of resurrection,
ALL: GOD OF HOPE, GOD OF STRENGTH,
TRANSFORM US, RENEW US.
TAKE OUR WOUNDEDNESS,
AND BRING HEALING AND NEW LIFE.
One: These things we ask in the name of the Risen One,
ALL: HOLY ONE, HEAR OUR PRAYERS,
AND IN YOUR LOVE ANSWER. AMEN.

HYMN #593 Jesu, Jesu Fill Us With Your Love

SCRIPTURE READINGS: John 15:1-17
Borrowed and adapted from the Apr/May/June 2000 issue of A-Ha:

In our reading today we hear of vines and vineyards and the fruit of love … In a US college they once did an experiment to find out the power held in a simple squash.

As the fruit grew they wrapped a band around the squash to measure the pressure the squash exerted against the band as it grew. They expected a pressure of 500 pounds …

In a month’s time the squash was growing with a pressure of 500 pounds against the strap – but it wasn’t finished – in two months it was growing 1500 pounds, then it went up to 2000 pounds and the bands were reinforced – the scientists gave up the experiment when at 5000 pounds the bands snapped. The squash plant hadn’t finished growing, and it hadn’t given up. It had sent out over 80 000 feet (80 000 feet !!) of roots to help it find the strength to grow against the forces that would hold it back.

The squash plant, and our readings remind us of the life force that can not be stopped … the life force that is the power of the resurrection in action.

Our challenge is to live that kind of force in the world – to grow in strength and faith as we live our lives …

I read about a woman who lived through the holocaust and who is still a person of faith. Somebody questioned her about how she could have faith in a God who let something like the Holocaust happen.

Her response was “It wasn’t that God let it happen, and it wasn’t that God wasn’t there, but it was that God didn’t have enough friends on earth willing to do anything about it …”

I think this fits with the idea that Jesus abides in us and we abide in him … we grow and become strong in our faith we push against the bands that hem us in, and in THAT, Jesus’ witness is clearer and our task as friends is obvious …

Psalm 98 (pg 818 Voices)

CHOIR ANTHEM:

THE STORY STOOL:

HYMN #373 As Comes the Breath of Spring

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 10:44-48

The Church is deeply divided in our reading. The movement that has its origins in the teachings and witness of Jesus from Nazareth is struggling to include a wide variety of people. In this reading, it is a question of whether the Gentiles should be baptized or not … Peter stands ready to pour out the Baptismal waters and to welcome ALL in the name of Christ. But others are less sure …
Canadian writer Milton Schwartzentruber once wrote of this passage: “There are many things over which churches tear themselves apart. A church I know of is in great pain over the fact that two lesbians have asked the minister to bless their union. They would like to have the service in the sanctuary. Some in the Congregation look at the women and see two wonderful, involved, caring and loving people. Other in the congregation see two people in an unholy relationship.”
“No matter how this situation gets resolved, it appears that some people will leave the church… The minister there said to me – ‘if the NO side wins we will have to re-write the church ad in the newspaper to read SOME are welcome instead of ALL are welcome …”
Such is the very real dilemma faced by Peter … If he baptizes the Gentiles, he will lose members of the Church … but if he doesn’t baptize the Gentiles he will lose them and others …
So Peter offers up in prayer is dilemma and calls on the Spirit to guide him in his decision …

I John 5:1-6
SERMON:
The text from our Gospel reading this morning is no doubt being widely used across our country today – “love one another as I have loved you, for no greater love hath a man then to lay down his life for another …”

In today’s context the gender of the text would be changed to celebrate the life of a Captain in the Canadian military, who by all reports lived a life filled with love extended to those around here. Last night on one of the reports of Capt. Goddard’s life they noted that she once stopped in a marathon and helped another participant finish the race … such ethics of helping others regardless of the consequences or the outcome is the very essence of love.

Love is not just a warm pink fuzzy feeling … love is something much deeper then that.

In one of the commentaries I read this weekend it noted that love is the living of life to the fullest. Love is the embodiment of joy and joy is living life boldly and courageously by embracing the laughter and the tears. Joy is one of the concepts in faith and life that is important to me. I have shared with you on several occasions a piece I once wrote on Joy, that was eventually published in a now defunct magazine (I don’t think there is a connection there …)

But as I’ve moved through ministry I have valued the gift of love that is revealed through the work of the church – that is the ministry that you and I share together as the people of God. Love is the life force that lies within, and that motivates us to action.

You can’t fake love … love is faith lived out …

As I consider love, a series of encounters stands out for me with the very margins of society … In Bella Coola there were a wonderful group of people called the Troopers. They were the drinkers. They spent their time trooping around town collecting the empty bottles and cans (hence their name). Then they trooped to the store and cashed them in, and made a purchase that would keep them for the rest of the day … and tomorrow they would do the same.

When they walked past the manse I would often open the door and yell at them to bring me the 10% tithe for the church … they would respond by yelling back – “if you want ten percent you gotta come and work for your share …” then they would laugh and carry on their walk …

I had innumerable encounters with them throughout my time amongst the Nuxalkmc people. One afternoon they were sharing the bottle and they taunted me from the front step of the house – “hey, we got the wine – if you got the bread we can have communion …”

The next day Mag was baking bread, so she made a small loaf that tucked in my pocket … on my walk down the street the same taunt was offered … I responded by reaching into my coat and saying – “actually, I do have bread …” And on the front step of the house, in the glorious summer sunshine of Coastal BC, the troopers and I had communion … Many other times, we shared communion, in a wide variety of ways …

When we needed jobs done around the church – the boys were there for us.
When we had feasts and potlatches I enjoyed sitting with them as the meal was served.

But nearing the end of my time in Bella Coola I was blessed with two moments that embodied love in action … the first came one night when one of the boys came to Church. He hadn’t darkened the door of the Church in many, many months. Yet the previous week he had begun to share with me his story of abuse in residential school, and why he drank to deaden his pain … As he sat beside me during the service when one of the congregation members shared a couple of specials, I noticed fleas crawling up my alb … tiny little moving specks … that we being joined by their buddies jumping from him to me …

I had a choice – I could have been disgusted and stood up and shook off my alb and offended and embarrassed him, or I could sit and know that I could deal with the fleas later …

I sat … I was horrified and disgusted (not by him, but by the bugs – I hate bugs crawling on me …), but I trusted that in that moment, the place I needed to be was right beside him. He had screwed up his courage to FINALLY come to Church and sit … He never tried to deny his problems. I never heard him say that his choice of lifestyle was someone else’s fault. He said simply one afternoon while we sat by the river – “you don’t know the pain that I have within me …”

And so in that moment, we sat – fleas and all – and felt the presence of God all around us … Had I stood up and shook my alb free of the critters, the alienation he already felt from the Church and from God would have deepened. Instead I laid aside my feelings about the bugs and sat …

There was no laying down my life in that moment, but there was a willingness to share in the moment on terms that were not mine …

The next moment of love in action came some weeks later as we prepared to say our farewells in Bella Coola. At one of the evening services, the troopers marched in and when the offering was taken up they came forward with bread bags bulging with dimes and other change … they laid them on the table and turned to me and said – “There’s the share for the Church …” as they laughed …

They gave up a lot … it may have been a few dollars of change – but to them it was a real sacrifice. They could have bought some time away from the burdens of pain they carried – but instead, they had (they just had) to have the last word. In love and joy, they offered what they had to say thanks that the Kingdom of God had room for them too.

In those moments I learned the meaning of love. Love is the willingness to embrace life and live fully in this moment the opportunities that are presented to us.

Last week I had the opportunity to speak to the students at MCI as part of their life skills work. I shared with them some of the learnings I’ve gleaned from life around grief, loss and recovery.

One of the life lessons I shared with them was the simple truth that it may hurt terribly right now – the loss could be a death, the break up a relationship, the loss or theft of a cherished item, or even a fire in a much building – but whatever it is, it might hurt terribly in this moment, but in time the hurt will be lessened. We will eventually look back on the loss and be able to find goodness that flowed forth from that horrible moment of pain …

That is the triumph of love … being able to move forward knowing that we are all members of the family of God, and that because God loves us, because we love ourselves we will heal and recover… That is love in action.

Opening ourselves up to the fullness of life and the very presence of God in our midst … we are called to go into the world, to share the Gospel, to pour out the baptismal waters, to welcome in the strangers and the broken … to speak in the languages that are comprehensible to those whom we meet along the way …

It is not an easy journey – it is seldom comfortable. Sometimes it requires pruning and nurturing, as our reading from John reminds us … but at the end of the day, the goal – the destination – the ends we seek and the means we live, as simply love in action.

It’s easy to speak of love – but love is sometimes harder to live … we are called to be people of love … and as the kids song tells us – “they shall know we are Christians by our love, by our love …”

We need to move beyond the understanding of love as nothing more then a simple, warm, pink fuzzy feeling that puts on a smiley face and gives hugs to everyone … love sometimes challenges us to name and reject bad behaviour, and to tread a path that is uncomfortable in the name of healing … I never accepted the heavy drinking of the troopers – I understood where it came from – but instead I tried in my own way, to help them own the pain they sought to dull, and to find ways to bring healing … I don’t know if it made a difference, but I know the journey we shared had an indelible effect on me …

And sometimes that’s all there is … like a stone thrown in a pond, we don’t know where the ripples will go … we don’t know what effect there will be down the road somewhere … all we can do is trust in God to be with us through it all …

We are called to live our love … today, tomorrow and always …
May it be so – thanks be to God …

OFFERING

OFFERTORY:

PRAYER OF DEDICATION

HYMN: #175 This is the Day That God Has Made

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE & THE LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN #222 Come Let Us Sing

COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:

SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #424 May the God of hope Go with Us

The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace

Announcements:

Building Committee Meeting – Tuesday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study has taken a break for the summer. A BIG thanks to those who have joined in the conversation and the fellowship this past year.
See you in the fall …

Confirmation Class will be taking a break for the summer …
See you again in the fall.

The Annual Meeting of Conference of Manitoba and North Western Ontario will be held in Winnipeg from May 25th to the 28th. Sam and Hannah Ankenmann will be attending the Pre-TAC events during the meeting as representatives of our Congregation.

Pentecost Sunday (June 4th) – Congregational lunch following Worship

Graduation Service – with our 2006 Grads - June 25th

Womens’ Weekend – information about this weekend (the end of September) is available at the back of the Sanctuary, or at the Church office.

THANKS TO HEATHER BRAZEAU for all of her hard work in hosting, organizng and preparing the community Mothers’ Day Dinner last week at the MCCC. Thanks to her efforts, $2884 dollars has been donated to our Rebuilding efforts … Thanks to all those who donated and participated.

Mother's Day bulletin ...

It's been a busy week around Minnedosa ... (more about that later) ... for now - here is the bulletin from LAST week's service with Nancy W preaching. I wish I had notes for her sermon - it was a grand offering. She reflected on her time here in Minnedosa, on the texts and then she ended by musing about the future that we face here in Minnedosa ...

I will post yesterday's service materials tomorrow (or maye even later today) - but for now - here is the bulletin from last week:

GREETINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS MINUTE FOR MISSION

HYMN #477 I Come with Joy

CALL TO WORSHIP:
One: Jesus said: Love one another.
ALL: WE COME TO WORSHIP GOD WHO IS LOVE,
THAT WE MAY LEARN TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
One: Jesus said: No longer do I call you servants;
now I call you my friends.
ALL: WE COME TO WORSHIP GOD,
WHOSE FRIENDS WE ARE IN CHRIST.
One: Let us sing praise to God,
and live in love and friendship;
through Jesus Christ.
ALL: AMEN.

PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: We are not called to be fearful,
ALL: WE ARE CALLED TO LOVE
One: We are not called to be perfect,
ALL: WE ARE CALLED TO BE FAITHFUL.
One: We are not called to be fearless,
ALL: WE ARE CALLED TO BE OBEDIENT
One: We are not called to be all knowing,
ALL: WE ARE CALLED TO BELIEVE.
One: We are not called to be victorious,
ALL: WE ARE CALLED TO BE COURAGEOUS.
One: For it is in serving that we shall reign,
It is through courage we shall find victory,
ALL: IT IS THROUGH GIVING ALL THAT WE SHALL GAIN ALL,
IT IS THROUGH BELIEVING THAT WE SHALL DISPEL DOUBT,
IT IS IN OBEDIENCE THAT WE SHALL OVERCOME.
One: It is in loving that we shall dispel all fear,
It is in faithfulness that we shall find perfection.
ALL: IN CHRIST, AND GOD’S JUSTICE, WE SHALL FIND FREEDOM,
NOW AND FOREVER. AMEN.

HYMN #371 Open My Eyes, That I May See

PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS:
One: God of Resurrection,
We come into your presence today yearning to touch you,
hoping to find for ourselves your presence in our lives …
ALL: WE CRY OUT TO YOU FROM A DARKENED WORLD
A WORLD THAT KNOWS THE FULLNESS OF SUFFERING AND DEATH.
One: Merciful and Loving God, in the light smothering darkness
we stumble forward longing for the light to break over us …
(pause)
One: Gather our lingering fears and our confusion …
ALL: MEET OUR DOUBTS WITH COMPASSION AND UNDERSTANDING,
OPEN OUR EYES TO YOUR LOVE AND GRACE,
OPEN OUR EARS TO HEAR YOU CALLING TO US,
OPEN OUR SOULS TO NEW POSSIBILITIES …
HYMN #396 Jesus, Stand among Us
One: God of Grace, God of Love,
Guide us to paths of resurrection,
ALL: GOD OF HOPE, GOD OF STRENGTH, GOD OF SALVATION,
TRANSFORM US, RENEW US.
TAKE OUR WOUNDEDNESS, AND BRING HEALING AND NEW LIFE.
One: These things we ask in the name of the Risen One,
ALL: HOLY ONE, HEAR OUR PRAYERS, AND IN YOUR LOVE ANSWER. AMEN.

HYMN #562 (vs 1,3,5) Jesus Calls Us

SCRIPTURE READINGS: I Peter 4:12-14, 5:6-11
Acts 1:6-14
CHOIR ANTHEM:
THE STORY STOOL:

HYMN #556 (vs 1,2) Would You Bless Our Homes and Families

SERVICE OF BAPTISM:
Today we celebrate the Baptisms of:

Savannah Marilyn Sage Topping daughter of Sheryl
And
Meredith Irene Erven, daughter of Frances and Keith

One: Sisters and Brothers,
let us celebrate God’s gift of grace
given to us in the sacrament of baptism.
ALL: THERE IS ONE BODY
AND ONE SPIRIT;
WE HAVE ONE HOPE IN CHRIST.
One: There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God, Creator of us all.
ALL: OUT OF THE WATER OF BAPTISM
WE RISE WITH NEW LIFE,
FORGIVEN, RENEWED, AND ONE WITH CHRIST,
MEMBERS OF CHRIST’S BODY.
One: On behalf of the congregation of Minnedosa United Church,
I present the following persons
for initiation into the body of Christ through baptism:

QUESTIONS TO THE FAMILY:
One: Do you believe in God, who has created and is creating,
who has come in Jesus, the Word made flesh,
to reconcile and make new,
and who works in us and others by the Spirit?
RESPONSE: I DO, BY THE GRACE OF GOD.
One: Will you follow in the way of Jesus Christ,
resisting oppression and evil, seeking justice,
and witnessing to God’s love for all creation?
RESPONSE: I WILL, GOD BEING MY HELPER.
One: Will you follow the way of Jesus Christ joining
with your brothers and sisters in this community of faith
to celebrate God’s presence, live with respect in creation,
and love and serve others?
RESPONSE: I WILL, GOD BEING MY HELPER.
One: Will you share your faith with your child,
supporting and encouraging her as you grow together in faith, hope and love?
RESPONSE: I WILL, GOD BEING MY HELPER

CONGREGATIONAL COMMITMENT:
One: Let us pledge to these persons our support and care.
ALL: AS A BAPTIZED AND BAPTIZING PEOPLE,
WE COMMIT OURSELVES TO SUPPORT AND UPHOLD YOU
WITHIN THE COMMUNITY OF FAITH.
One: May God grant us all
the grace to live out our baptism.
ALL: AMEN.

AFFIRMATION OF FAITH:
A New Creed page 918 Voices United

POURING OF THE WATER:
One: God be with you.
ALL: AND ALSO WITH YOU.
One: Lift up your hearts.
ALL: WE LIFT THEM TO GOD.
One: Let us give our thanks to God.
ALL: IT IS GOOD TO GIVE GOD THANKS AND PRAISE.
One: As the water is poured, we recall
Isaiah’s promise:
“waters shall break forth in the wilderness
and streams in the desert”;
Ezekiel’s declaration:
“I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean”;
the Psalmist’s testimony:
“Beside the still waters, God leads me”;
and Jesus’ words:
“whoever gives even a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones—
truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward.”
May God’s Spirit be upon us
and these waters of daily use,
which we now use to baptize and to welcome.
Listen to its free-flowing powers;
Listen to its releasing powers;
Listen to its welcoming powers.

ACT OF BAPTISM:
One: I baptize you,
in the name of the Father,
and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
BLESSING:
One: May the blessing of the God of Sarah and Hagar,
as of Abraham,
the blessing of the Son, born of the woman Mary,
and the blessing of the Spirit, who broods over us
as a mother her children,
be with you today and always.
ALL: AMEN.
One: Child of God, from this day forward,
you bear the sign of Jesus Christ.
ALL: AMEN.
One: May the Holy Spirit, Love’s power,
guide you, inspire you, and work within you,
all the days of your life.
ALL: AMEN.

PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATE AND CANDLE:
One: Let your light shine before others,
that they may see your good works,
and give glory to God.
ALL: AMEN.

CONGREGATIONAL WELCOME:
One: Into the household of faith,
we welcome you with joy and thanksgiving.
ALL: WE ARE MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.
WE ARE INHERITORS OF GOD’S PROMISE.
IN THE NAME OF CHRIST, WE WELCOME YOU.
One: The grace of Christ attend you,
the love of God surround you,
the Holy Spirit keep you.
ALL: AMEN.

HYMN #644 I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry

SERMON: The Reverend Nancy Wetselaar
OFFERING
OFFERTORY:
PRAYER OF DEDICATION

HYMN #477 I Come With Joy

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE - THE LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN #232 Joyful, Joyful

COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:

SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #424 May the God of hope Go with Us

The worship has ended…
…the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace


Announcements:
Our thanks to Hilda Comrie, The AOTS Mens’ Club and all the volunteers and very talented people who made Tuesday Night’s concert a huge success. (Thanks too, to Ruth Wiwchar and her choirs for coming out to share their ample talents with us). In all $3000 dollars was raised for our rebuilding efforts.

Thanks to Cathy Mansell (CM Artworks) who presented us with a donation of $397 this past week. This represents the proceeds to date from the sales of her sketch of the Church. As sales continue, Cathy will make further donations to our rebuilding fund. The sketches are available locally …

Worship service at PCH -Tuesday at 2:30, Shawn will be leading the service

UCW - Wednesday at 2:00 pm, at Amy Kozak’s home.

Church Board Meeting – this Wednesday, May 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Adult Learning Centre.

Building Committee Meeting – Tuesday, May 23rd at 6:00 p.m.

Bible Study will resume on Friday at 10 am at the Library

Confirmation Class will meet at Minnedosa Bowl Saturday at 12:30.

The Annual Meeting of Conference of Manitoba and North Western Ontario will be held in Winnipeg from May 25th to the 28th. Sam and Hannah Ankenmann will be attending the Pre-TAC events during the meeting as representatives of our Congregation.

Pentecost Sunday (June 4th) – Congregational lunch following Worship

Graduation Service – with our 2006 Grads - June 25th

And a very warm welcome to our friend (and former Minister) the Rev. Nancy Wetselaar, who joins us in our worship service this morning.

Happy Mother's Day ...

The bulletin for today's service will be delayed slightly ... today our Service was co-lead by Rev. Nancy Wetslaar who is currently in Stratford Ontario at Centennial United Church (which is my home congregation). Nancy served her from 1979 to 1981 before returning to Ontario.

We celebrated the baptism of two little pilgrims, and Nancy shared the reflection. It was a grand service - thanks to Nancy for coming and being part of the day, and continuing to be a part of our journey ...

Then tonight our Community celebrated Mothers' Day in fine fashion. A local caterer put on a great banquet spread, and is commited to donating the proceeds to our Rebuilding efforts. Heather pulled together a fabulous (and delicious) meal, and a couple hundred people gathered in the local Conference Centre.

It was a great evening - a nice way to remember and celebrate our mom's, and a nice way to celebrate the gift of community that becomes so important when we face struggles and traumas like a fire !!

Thanks Heather for all your effort and all your work. Thanks to your staff, and to the many businesses in our community who donated door prizes and other items. It was a wonderful evening ...

Inspiration and enlightenment ...

I'm a fan of Robert Frost's poetry. One of his early pieces, "A time to talk" is often used in my funeral reflections, because it reminds us to take the time to build relationships and talk to the people around us. I also like his much loved, "The Road Not Taken ..."

The lone traveller standing on the road looking up one path and then another reminds us of the importance of choosing our path well ... In Minnedosa we have and do and will continue to find ourselves standing at many forks in the road where we will face the choice of which path shall we trod ... The big moments will be choosing an architect, creating plans for the new church, and committing to the rebuild ... but we face smaller moments of decision all the time. In our journey it has been about words spoken or forgotten, actions taken or not, gifts accepted or declined ... and so on. When we choose a path, we commit to a course of action. And there are repercussions ... we face choices all the time - it's part of life. The important thing in our choices is considering the support, care and nurture of those around us ... particularly in the challenges that we've faced since our fire.

This week as a community we found ourselves on a path where the chosen actions have produced wonderful moments of inspiration and enlightenment for most of us:

ON Tuesday night the much anticipated, and long awaited evening of music finally happened. Minnedosa played host to a number of young people involved in choirs in the Winnipeg area school division of Pembina Valley, who came to share their ample talent and provide us with a much needed night of entertainment. It was truly inspiring ...

The choirs were under the able leadership of Ruth Wiwchar (a woman with roots that run deep into Minnedosa - Ruth is a talented musician in her own right, and her Mom Jean Stephenson was a vertiable institution in Minnedosa with many years of leading the various incarnations of the Junior Choir that are remembered so fondly.). The young people came and enjoyed a meal put on my the AOTS Mens Club, then we had a two hour evening of music provided by the young people as well as our Senior Choir, and a variety of local singers, groups, and ensembles.

It was a terrific night. The music was great, and the night collected over 3000 dollars for our rebuilding effort ... Thanks to Ruth and her young people for coming and sharing their talents with us, thanks to Hilda C for putting the pieces together so wonderfully, thanks to the local folks who came and enthralled us with their singing, and thanks to those who rounded out the evening. It was good to have a such a large group of people together to support us in our journey ... It was by and large a wonderful evening.

Then last night the Building Committee meet once again. This night, they began the process of interviewing potential architects to help us in the process.

It was an enlightening experience. Hearing the sales job from these men who want to work with us was inspiring, but they also managed to give us much to think about. All of us around the table took notes, and we picked up on different things, and thought of new ideas that hadn't yet popped up on our "radar screens."

There are more interviews to come, but the process continues. We may be a few weeks from our final selection, but there is little doubt that the process is in the hands of very competent and capable people ...

With each little step the journey continues ...

May we have the eyes to see and the hearts to care about those around us,
and may we have the courage and boldness to speak and walk in faith ...

By the still waters ...

GREETINGS ANNOUNCEMENTS
MINUTE FOR MISSION

HYMN #534 I Cannot Dance, O Love

CALL TO WORSHIP
One: We come to celebrate and embody God’s presence
ALL: WE COME TO SHARE GOD’S LOVE AND OUR FAITH
One: In word and song we gather to praise God
ALL: THROUGH ACTION AND GESTURE WE CARE FOR
OUR NEIGHBOUR AND STRANGERS.
One: With worship and prayer we join in community.
ALL: BE WITH US IN OUR WORSHIP AND OUR LIVES. AMEN

PRAYER OF APPROACH:
One: The Lord is our shepherd,
ALL: HOLY ONE, LEAD US, KEEP US SAFE.
One: God leads us to lie in green pastures, God guides us to still waters.
ALL: CREATOR GOD, IN THE TURMOIL OF LIFE: BE WITH US.
One: God restores our soul, God leads us on God’s own path.
ALL: GOD OF LOVE, EVEN IN MOMENTS OF LONELINESS,
YOU ARE THERE
One: Though we walk through the presence of death, we fear nothing
ALL: OUR FRIEND, OUR COMPANION, YOU ARE THERE
One: In You we have no fear, we are fed, we are anointed with goodness.
ALL: HOLY ONE, HEAR US WHEN WE PRAY,
BE WITH US IN OUR LIVES. AMEN.

HYMN #218 We Praise You, O God

PRAYER FOR WHOLENESS
One: Merciful God,
ALL: WE CONFESS THAT WE HAVE SINNED AGAINST YOU,
IN THOUGHT, WORD, AND DEED,
BY WHAT WE HAVE DONE,
AND BY WHAT WE HAVE LEFT UNDONE.
WE HAVE NOT LOVED YOU WITH ALL OUR WHOLE HEART
AND MIND AND STRENGTH.
WE HAVE NOT LOVED OUR NEIGHBOURS
AS OURSELVES.
WE ARE TRULY SORRY.
(pause)
HYMN #396 Jesus, Stand among Us

One: Resurrect our lives,
ALL: IN YOUR MERCY FORGIVE WHAT WE HAVE BEEN,
HELP US TO AMEND WHAT WE ARE,
AND DIRECT WHAT WE SHALL BE;
One: Renew and recreate us,
ALL: THAT WE MAY DELIGHT IN YOUR WILL
AND WALK IN YOUR WAYS;
THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. AMEN.

SCRIPTURE READINGS: Acts 4:5-12
“If you don’t like the message, then jail the messenger” That is likely what the high priests and the temple authorities were feeling as they listened to Peter explain the miracle that had people around the temple abuzz with excitement.

They couldn’t deny the miracle. They couldn’t cover it up. And now they couldn’t really offer an explanation either. So, Peter stepped forward as a follower of the wandering rabbi from Nazareth, and affirmed the contention that such miracles clearly come from God and God alone.

Therefore God must be with those who in the name of the Risen One, enacted such miracles in defiance of the authorities who short days before had condemned Jesus to death and thought they eliminated this pesky movement peopled by the rough and tumble Galileans. But now, in the midst of people and the temple, the reality of the Resurrection was being revealed for all to see.

The stand taken by Peter and the others was not where the majority stood, nor was it where the powers and authorities of the day placed their trust. Peter boldly and courageously stood alone and apart, taking a stand for faith.

Mark Twain once wrote – “that when you find yourself on the side of the majority, you should reexamine your position …” The re-examination here is not held by the minority, but by the majority who are required to find and claim the presence of God in their midst … Peter was showing them the way, but they didn’t like the message nor the path being offered …

What would their response be?

Or more importantly, what would our response be if we were in their shoes?

John 10:11-18
When Jesus says – “in truth,” or “verily” in the Gospels it is a passage that is important and we are to pay attention to it …

In today’s reading he says simply – “I am the Good Shepherd …” and it is our task to determine what that understanding and that reality is about in our lives.

We all carry images of the Good Shepherd. When we hear the words – “The Lord is my Shepherd,” we conjure up images of white flowing robes, gentle lambs and vast grassy fields. In our world that image might be appropriate and accurate. But in Jesus’ world, the Shepherds were on the margins of society.

They were dirty, they were dangerous, they were mysterious figures who lurked in the hills and valleys beyond the safety and comfort of the towns and villages. Yet, Jesus, the very messenger of God stood up and said – “I am the Good Shepherd …” and he reweaves a new image in their minds.

Taking the imagery that was familiar from the Psalmist, Jesus reminds his listeners and us, that the Shepherd comes and calls the sheep to safety and protection.

The world might be a cold and lonely place, but with a shepherd standing watching over us from a nearby hill we need not be afraid … The challenge for us in our hurry up and go world is to hear the whisper that calls us to peace and rest and safety … The whisper is out there, echoing and resounding across time – our challenge is to hear it as it says – “verily I say unto you …”

HYMN #268 Bring Many Names

STORY STOOL:

CHOIR ANTHEM:

SCRIPTURE READINGS: 1 John 3:16-24

In the Church we often speak of love and the importance of living lives of love as we journey together in faith. Love is a word that is easy to speak, but it is a word that is hard to live.

In our reading today we are challenged to remember and to embody the concept of LOVE AS A VERB.

We are good at loving from a distance. We can love the refugees from Darfur and Iraq, and be generous in our aid and assistance. We can send our donations to the latest trouble spot and ensure that people are cared for and cared about. But loving up close is harder to do.

Do we close our eyes to deception and manipulation by our friends and family, or do we call them to task?

Do we expect others to do what we want, or are we open to the possibility that we might be wrong?

Do we have the courage to grow in love, or do we have an idealized notion of romance and lust that has little bearing on the reality of love as something that seeks the comfort, the care and the nurture of those whom we truly love.

Love is a verb. The early Church knew this and struggled to live it. In our world, we’ve made love a noun and prefer to place it on a shelf or in a frame and admire it.

Love is dead if it is not lived … Our challenge is to live our love as we journey through the hills and valleys the Shepherd guides us to …

HYMN #747 The Lord’s My Shepherd

SERMON: “The Lord IS my shepherd …”

One of our readings today, the one we sang, rather then said – is one of the most well known passages in the English Language.

When I’ve worked in care facilities with people suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, I have always been struck by the ability of these folks to join in when I say the words – “The Lord is my shepherd …” It is a familiar and much loved reading.

We use in at funerals, we use it as a prayer at the bed side of a loved one who is ill, we use in moments when we need comfort and encouragement. It is a reading that with a few dozen words speaks of the holy in a comfortable and comforting way, and that is what gives this passage its strength and its universality.

When we say the words – “The Lord is my shepherd …” and move through the psalm, even if we’ve never seen a shepherd with our OWN eyes we form a mental image of a shepherd who looks after us and keeps us safe from all harm. Even though the text was written Centuries ago, in a place half a world away, in a time when iron was a novelty – it still speaks to us today.

Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author who penned the book “When Bad Things Happen to Good People” tackled the Shepherd Psalm and asked the very question – why is this simple text so popular? His musings are an intriguing and enlightening answer to this question, and they challenge us to move forward with those understandings to a place where we take the words from the page that comfort us and do something more with them then just read them over and over and over …

Kushner writes: “in a mere 57 words of Hebrew and just about twice that number in English, the author of the 23rd Psalm gives us an entire theology, a more practical theology than we can find in many books. The author teaches us to look at the world and see it as God would have us see it. If we are anxious, the psalm gives us courage, and we overcome our fears. If we are grieving, it offers comfort and we find our way through the valley of the shadow. If our lives are embittered by unpleasant people, it teaches us how to deal with them. If the world threatens to wear us down, the psalm guides us to replenish our souls. If we are obsessed with what we lack, it teaches us gratitude for what we have. And most of all, if we feel alone and adrift in a friendless world, it offers us the priceless reassurance that “Thou, art with me …”

The 23rd Psalm IS more than just mere words. It is a living breathing text that offers us a way of seeing and living life grounded in the reality in which we find ourselves. Kushner explores this in his work, and invites his reader (that is US – you and I) to join him this journey.

The 23rd Psalm begins with the universal human concern – “is the universe a friendly place that is supportive of our hopes and our aspirations? Or is the universe a vast and lonely place where we are utterly alone?

The Psalm begins with the simple statement of faith – “The Lord is my shepherd.” It answers this concern with an affirmation that the universe is NOT a vast and lonely place. It is God’s world, and we are in our lives part of God’s world.

The Psalm doesn’t claim the world is a perfect place, but it names and owns the reality that at times the world can be a cold and lonely and even dangerous place, but God is always there to take care of us in the same way a shepherd is there to care for the sheep in presence of dangerous predators and fatal accidents.

The world may be a dangerous and frightening place, but God is ALWAYS with us. That is OUR faith.

Next the Psalmist doesn’t try to deny the shattering reality of death and loss and suffering, nor does it try to minimize nor deny the effect those moments have in our life. Rather then trying to offer empty words that minimize the impact of death and loss, the Psalm names this hurt and sorrow and proclaims in the face of it the understanding that God accompanies us into and leads us through the Valley of the Shadow of death, and we will have no need to fear

The Psalm summons us to move forwardly boldly in our lives, living in the confidence that comes only with knowing that God is with us … The Psalm doesn’t offer the pious idealistic hope that if we are good and faithful people life will be easy as some religious teachings would proclaim.

The writer of this text knew what it meant to have people hate him and want to harm him. The author has known failures and set backs. He has lost loved ones, he has suffered loss. But in the challenges life has thrown at him, he has grown and become a stronger and likely a better person. Life’s experience have taught him to be wiser and stronger.

But perhaps the strongest lesson the Psalm teaches us is that we can seldom control what happens to us – we will suffer accidents and losses – we will have health set backs – we will have runs of bad luck … but we can control HOW we will RESPOND to those moments.

We can sit on the dust heap and weep and wail, or we can pick ourselves up and move forward. The Psalmist, and this is perhaps the strength of this reading, and why it is SO well known and so well used, understood the vagaries of life and the importance of learning and growing and appreciating life in its fullness rather then simply cursing God and others when things don’t go OUR way.

We live in a culture that runs counter to this ethos, and so the impact of the 23rd Psalm has become focused on what God will do for ME, rather then how with God’s presence and care we can move forward. We moved from understanding God as a loving, steadfast presence to understanding God as sort of divine Santa Claus who will supply our every want and whim … To utter the words – “The Lord is my shepherd…” and to move through the text that is SO familiar to many of us, is a bold proclamation of faith.

It is a proclamation of faith that says – “Life is not simply a rose garden where everything will be lovely and wonderful …” Life is a place filled with shadows and darkness and threats. Life is a place where we really have only limited control, a place that is often awash in emotion and hostilitiy, a place where sometimes we may feel utterly alone …”

But in the midst of that place we WILL, in faith, hear a familiar whisper that is guiding us forward … The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me; thy rod and they staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life;
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever … (KJV)

When we hear and believe and live those words we move from a place that finds us sitting saying – “woe is me …” to a place where we take the Love we have found in our faith and like the call of our epistle reading, put that love into action.

It begins with the proclamation – “the Lord is my shepherd …” putting the rest of the text into action is up to you and I … It’s a good psalm. It’s better when it is being lived …

May we have the courage to live the message of the psalm today, tomorrow and always …
May it be so – thanks be to God, Let us pray …

OFFERING:

OFFERTORY:

PRAYER OF DEDICATION:

HYMN: #273 The King of Love

PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE /THE LORD’S PRAYER

HYMN: #427 To Show by Touch and Word

COMMISSIONING/BENEDICTION:

SUNG RESPONSE: HYMN #424 May the God of Hope Go with Us

The worship has ended……the work of God’s people has just begun
Go in peace

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Next Sunday we welcome “home” The Reverend Nancy Wetselaar (nee Peckham) who is visiting and sharing in the service. Nancy currently serves at Centennial United Church in Stratford (Shawn’s home church)

Mother’s Day Banquet – next Sunday at MCCC – proceeds to our rebuilding efforts.

Building Committee – meets this Wednesday, May 10th.

Church Board – meets next Wednesday, May 18th.

Tuesday Night – An evening of song and music at MCCC when Ruth Wiwchar brings choirs from the Pembina Trails School Division and they join with local singers and choirs in an evening concert. Come and join the fun.

Women’s Weekend – Sept 29-Oct 1 - Registration forms are ready and can be picked up at the Church office or from Lois Neabel.

Assessing our losses ...

This week we've had two things happen that have begun moving us to a more full appreciation of what it is that we've lost ...

The first was the composing and sharing of what will be the Victims' Impact statement that we will submit to the Courts as they determine what to do with the three suspects connected to our Fire. I penned the first draft and passed it around over the last week for people to edit, change and add to. This morning I sent a second revised and lengthened version. It was helpful to have other eyes read over the words that will, on behalf of all of us, tell the Courts how we've been impacted by the cowardly and callous act that robbed us of our sanctuary and our building.

There is very little about our life as a Church today that isn't impacted by the fire. Even gathering to worship involves the physical movement of boxes of books, supplies and many other items that we simply had sitting in our worship space. Now we have to run through a "check list" and make sure everything is there ...

Then on Thursday we gathered in community to say farewell to one of our saints (in the fullest sense of the word), who had died over the weekend. We've gathered to hold funerals, but this one had an added poignency. Muriel and her husband Ed had been long time members of the Choir, and were instrumental in helping make happen, the purchase of the new Organ in 2002. One of my strongest memories of the afternoon the new Allen organ arrive was seeing Ed standing with tears in his eyes saying "It's beautiful ..." and "it's been a long time coming ..." Both of them enjoyed and savoured the good music offered by our Choir and by our organist/choir director Eleanor.

Regretably, today all that remains of the exquisite organ that graced our sanctuary with sound for such a short period of time, is a small battered brass plaque that we scavenged from the debris left after the fire ... we WILL get a new organ, but we will never replace what we've lost !!

As we said our farewells to Muriel we, the congregation, the choir and those gathered all knew that Muriel was an important part of the community that continues to grieve the loss of our building. Muriel's service should have been held in our Sanctuary, and it should have resounded with a choir and music and an organ that were part of her legacy to our church and community. But because of the thoughtless action of cowards lurking in the dark, such possibilities lie only in the realm of "woulda, shoulda, and coulda's"

We named the loss on paper ... then we lived the loss in community. As we said Good bye to one of our saints, we also said good bye to many things that were once central to our lives and our worship ... And that was perhaps the hardest thing of all ...

In the face of it though, we continue to affirm:
L'chaim,