Pastoral Reflections

Greetings! God is worthy of our thanks and praise!

I give thanks for our times of worship, dedication and celebration last Sunday! I give thanks that 70 people could gather in our indoor worship space and that 100 plus more gathered behind computers, tablets or phones through Zoom. I give thanks that following indoor worship about 100 of our church family members could gather in our outdoor green space. We shared in good conversation as we sat together, ate together, prayed together, played together and dedicated our green space to the ministry of the church and the glory of God! (See link below to watch the dedication service.) It was so good to be together! I went home grateful for the gift of those moments and opportunities. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow!”

This week conversations continue as we discern how we keep creating meaningful connection, transforming worship and gathering opportunities. Many questions surface in these conversations. When can we sing together? When can we have more than 70 people in our indoor sanctuary space? When will Sunday School begin? When will Youth group, J-Walkers, kids club, launch? When can we use our basement for activities with groups? When can we drink coffee together? When can we open our Green Space to Playgroup and in other ways welcome the broader community to our space? And how can we do all these things in ways that provide a welcoming and safe space for all those who gather?  

These are some of the questions that dance regularly in our heads and hearts as we think, pray, discern and plan for the weeks and months ahead. I invite you to read the “Update on Return to our Church Building & Programming” attached to this letter/announcement sheet this week. The conversation continues as our Church Ministry Council meets again next Wednesday September 22. We will continue to reflect on questions like these. We need your prayers as we share and discern together. We invite you to reach out to the leaders you have called to serve on this council. (Their names are included in the update.) Share with them your thoughts, reflections and questions before our Wednesday evening meeting, and this way join the conversation! We want to hear from you!

Some days all the questions that need to be discerned, and the restrictions and challenges we need to navigate, become overwhelming and discouraging.  But I choose again today (and I invite you to join me), to give thanks to God who is making a way through this unusual time!

Psalm 100

A Psalm of thanksgiving.

¹ Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth.
²     Worship the Lord with gladness;
    come into his presence with singing.

³ Know that the Lord is God.
    It is he that made us, and we are his;
    we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
    and his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him, bless his name.

⁵ For the Lord is good;
    his steadfast love endures forever,
    and his faithfulness to all generations.

Pastor Ray

Grace and Peace to you!

We give thanks that schools are open for in person learning and that the presence of God accompanies all of us on this school year journey! We share this prayer for the new school year offered from the perspective of a student. This prayer comes from a resource packet received from “Illustrated Ministries”.

God of fresh starts and new beginnings,

we bring ourselves, our big feelings, and our backpacks to you.

Last year was different from what we expected.

We couldn’t see our friends or play on playgrounds,

we learned at home, in masks six feet apart, or both.

In all these changes, we may have felt sad and alone.

God, our friend who comforts us, hold us close and wipe our tears.

In our backpacks, we carry blank pages, sharpened pencils, and pointy crayons,

and in our hearts, we carry big feelings, unanswered questions, and hopeful expectations.

There are endless possibilities of what this New Year might bring—

of what we might learn, who we might meet, and who we might become.

God, our friend who is always with us, be with us through it all.

Be with us as we ride the bus.

Be with us as we walk.

Be with us as we buckle seat belts, zip-up jackets, and tie shoes.

However we get there, and whatever we wear,

bless this journey into a new school year.

For the grown-ups going back to school,

God, be with them too.

Thank you for our teachers, helpers, caregivers, and leaders,

and for all they do to help us learn and grow.

God, our friend who’s full of wonder, fill their hearts and bless their hands.

Amen.

Greetings to the ever–learning group at East Zorra!

The formal academic school year is about to begin for many students. If you have children in your home, you are well aware of this! At a new beginning, there is both excitement and trepidation. Now is a great time to pray for our young students, and their teachers.

Now is also a great time to remind ourselves no matter how old you are, and no matter what kind of career you’re in, you need to be learning. The possibilities are endless. Pick up a new skill. Study a fresh topic. Learn a language. Read a new book. Start a new Bible study.

The Bible says in Proverbs 18:15, “Wise men and women are always learning, always listening for fresh insights” (Proverbs 18:15 The Message).  One of the most important roles you have in life is as a student. Jesus wants us to be disciples. That’s just another word for ‘learner’. You’re learning what it means to follow Christ.

Disciples of Jesus keep learning. They never stop.

You’ll do yourself a favour when you keep learning. The Bible teaches us, “Those who get wisdom do themselves a favor, and those who love learning will succeed” (Proverbs 19:8 NCV).  And again, To be wise you must first have reverence for the Lord. If you know the Holy One, you have understanding.  (Proverbs 9:10 GNT)

As formal education begins this season, what new things are you interested in learning and experiencing?  Take some positive steps that hold you accountable to do it.

Blessings in your thirst & quest for more wisdom,

Pastor Lloyd

Greetings in the name of God the “Father of lights!”

“Father of lights.” As I was reading in James this week I was drawn to this name for God and the reminder and invitation that comes from this scripture text.  

¹⁷ Every generous act of giving, with every perfect gift, is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. ¹⁸ In fulfillment of his own purpose he gave us birth by the word of truth, so that we would become a kind of first fruits of his creatures. James 1:17-18

A reminder that good gifts come from God!

God, whose first recorded words in the bible were, “Let there be light” has continued to create light and life and be light and life for the world. God, the source of light and life, has continued to generously bestow on us good gifts even in the midst of difficult and challenging times. Have you taken time this summer to pause, to name and reflect on the good gifts that have come to you/us from our Father of lights! Have you given thanks for these gifts! I have heard some of you name some of those gifts: beautiful summer weather; fields of amazing looking crops; supportive family and friends; opportunities to gather in person; vaccines; loosening restrictions; in person and zoom worship; holiday time; the light and hope of God…!

God’s invitation to us!

God gave us physical birth, God gave us spiritual birth and God gave us the privilege of becoming “a kind of first fruits of his creatures.”  “First fruits” is an Old Testament image and refers to the first portion of the harvest that was given to God as an act of worship and thanks. First fruits were a sample or foretaste of that which was to come. The invitation I hear in this passage is spoken clearly in “The Voice” translation of verse 18. “We have a special role in [God’s] plan. He calls us to life by His message of truth so that we will show the rest of His creatures His goodness and love.”

We the church are being invited to show the world God’s goodness and love; to show the world the way of God’s kingdom; to show the world what is possible when we live in the power and fullness of God. We are being invited to live fully into the image of God who is the “Father of lights!” We are being invited to reflect the image of God in the world! To be light bearers, life bearers, love bearers, peace and justice bearers, kindness bearers, hope bearers, good gift bearers…and so much more! And we are invited to be bearers in this world with extravagant generosity. May we allow the Spirit of the Father of lights to enlighten us, and to enlighten the path we are being invited to follow! More than ever the world needs, and we need, the generous light of God and the Lord Jesus Christ!    

Pastor Ray

Covid 19 Vaccines

To vaccinate or not to Vaccinate – that is the question … but what is the answer?

Jesus commanded us in Mark 12:31 to “love your neighbour as yourself.”

Each one of us has the right to decide and answer the question whether to vaccinate which ever way we feel led as we ponder and mull over all the issues that are uppermost in each of our minds. To be honest, I was probably less in favour of being vaccinated in the beginning but have read, listened, studied where the information is coming from and am now at a very different place than I previously was. I think that to receive the vaccine if physically able is another way to practice loving your neighbour.

Doctors and medical scientists have worked for many years on developing vaccines. The vaccine that is now given for tetanus is not the same identical vaccine to the tetanus one I received in the ‘70ies. It has been studied and changes made to make it safer, with fewer side effects, and to continue to more effectively prevent disease. Likewise, the base of the Covid 19 vaccine was already known, already used in other vaccines and being studied so that only a portion of the vaccine needed to be tweaked and tested for effectiveness and safety when we quickly needed a Covid 19 vaccine.

The decisions and choices we make around vaccination are not only for our own personal sake but for the sake of our entire community…church and broader. One thing that the pandemic has shown us is that our lives, bodies and health are interwoven. Choices that we make can have a huge ripple effect on all those that we have contact with.

Jesus story of the Good Samaritan reminds us of our calling as Christians to consider the role we play in promoting the healing of the world. Only as more and more of us become vaccinated can we protect our children and those we come in direct contact with who are not vaccinated. If a significant portion of people in our communities are not vaccinated, the pandemic will continue. We are already seeing increased numbers of new cases and that a high percentage of these new cases are those who have not been vaccinated. A Toronto Star analysis of provincial data has found that unvaccinated Ontarians are ending up in hospital with COVID-19 nearly 20 times as often as fully vaccinated individuals and in the last week have been about 70 times more likely to end up in intensive care,

To receive the vaccine if we are physically able is another way to practice and show love for our neighbour…to be that “Good Samaritan”.

If anyone has questions or would like to further discuss these questions concerning vaccination, please contact me. I would be more than willing to hear your thoughts.

Some of the material is from Christianity Today articles by Daniel Chin, a physician with 25 years of global public health experience.