Pastoral Reflections

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.

Greetings in the Name of the One in Whom we live and move and have our being.

I used to picture myself as a cracked empty pot … longing to have the overflow or Fullness of God contained within me.

I have never scuba dived.  I understand it is quite the experience.

A Facebook friend, learning a new skill, gave this analogy:

Today as I was just “being” at 10 meters deep … not moving, just being. I was surrounded and immersed in the fullness … I could not contain it, it was so much immeasurably more than I could ever contain. I began to ponder on “having” vs “being in” the fullness.

If we are continually in the fullness how could we ever become empty? If I have leaks, holes, cracks … these imperfections are inconsequential as the fullness surrounds, flows through …

Is this what the ever present peace of God feels like? Is this what “flowing in” His Power, His Presence, His Anointing feels like?

When I am in His Fullness, the burdens that I carry are buoyant … I can’t breathe on my own underwater, I am 100% dependent upon my air source… if I am in His fullness, then I am 100% dependent upon his breath in my lungs.

In getting out of the deep and back on to the boat, I took my flippers off … wow immediately my powerful leg strokes were ineffective … having my “feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” … is that what the difference feels like?

When I allow myself to be completely submerged in the fullness of God, I get to see depths and details that exist always, but are not apparent from the surface … what am I missing in my daily life when I neglect to be submerged in the fullness of God?

* If you have never scuba dived, it is a sensation completely different than snorkeling or swimming underwater. When you have reached neutral buoyancy, there is no struggle … when you inhale you slightly float up, when you exhale you slightly float down. You don’t have to do anything. You can just be. For non-scuba perhaps the closest experience would be to perfectly float on water… but it is still not the same as there are so many depths and intricate details to explore, that are not seen from the surface.

May we learn to have our ‘being’ in Him!

Pastor Lloyd

Greetings in the name of God who says, ‘with joy draw water out of the well of salvation’!

This summer, East Zorra is on a ‘Joy Ride’!  As we flip through the Book of Philippians, each week we look at different aspects of joy. 

Joy is to be the normative emotion for the follower of Christ.  ‘The Kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.’ Romans 14:17 NLT. The prophet Isaiah said; “For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”   Isaiah 55:12

It’s taken me a long time to learn, and an even longer time to realize the truth that circumstances, people, trials, work, and worldly stress do not have the inherent ability to steal my joy. It’s when I open my heart to outside elements that I allow stresses to come in like robbers and take what is rightfully mine in the Lord. It’s when I allow a fellow driver, a time crunch, a negative comment, or a troublesome problem to take precedence over the joy and hope I have in Jesus that I step outside of my allotted portion of peace.

The Lord longs to make us a people that go out in joy. He longs to make us children who are so overwhelmed by his love that the cares of this world pale in comparison to his grace and affections. Ask the Lord for perspective today. Allow the Spirit to help you focus your attention on the true purpose for which you were created: restored relationship with your heavenly Father. Choose the joy of the Lord over the stress and cares of the world. Choose to “be led forth in peace”. And experience today the lifestyle of carrying the joy of the Lord with you everywhere you go. May others come to know the abundant goodness of your heavenly Father through the way you exude joy.

May the God who turns our mourning into dancing, fill you with all joy!

Pastor Lloyd

Greetings in the name of God who “rejoices over us with singing”!

This week Jean shares with us an inspiring tidbit of interesting facts about singing. When I read her tidbit my mind went to a verse of scripture that tells us that God rejoices over us with singing.

The Lord your God is in your midst, a Mighty One, who will save. He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing. (Zephaniah 3:17)

Maybe God sings over us to inspire us to sing for all the reason Jean names. That would be wonderful enough. But Zephaniah reminds us of the deeper reason God sings over us with loud and joyful song. God loves us that much! God loves you that much! Don’t question this truth just receive it, and give thanks for it. And join God in the singing!

Pastor Ray

                   Jean’s Tidbit (or Jottings) July 2021

                        POSITIVE EFFECTS of SINGING

I know that right now we cannot sing at church like we wish we could, but…we can sing at home, in the car, on the back deck…you choose where but the following positive effects should encourage us just to SING!

1. Relieves Stress – cortisol is the stress hormone and studies show that levels decrease after singing…whether singing alone or in a group
2. Boosts the Immune System – a study compared listening to music with singing. Those who sang showed higher levels of immunoglobulin A, an antibody secreted to fend off infections. Listening to music reduced stress but did not stimulate the body’s immune system.
3. Increases Pain Threshold – group singing, drumming, and/or dancing releases hormones – endorphins – that raise your pain tolerance in ways that just listening to music does not.
4. May Improve Snoring – research has found that fewer choir members snore.
5. Increases Lung Function – breathing techniques with singing may offer benefits for people with COPD, asthma, cystic fibrosis, cancer, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.
6. Develops a Sense of Belonging and Connection – spontaneous improvised singing causes your body to release the feel-good hormone, oxytocin, which may provide a heightened sense of connectedness and inclusion.
7. Enhances Memory in Those with Dementia – for some, singing familiar songs brought back life memories that they had forgotten
8. Helps with Grief – group singing doesn’t just help with physical pain; it may also help with the emotional pain that you feel after someone you love has died.
9. Improves Mental Health and Mood – researchers found that participants reported improvements in their mental health, mood, sense of well-being, and feeling of belonging as a result of singing workshops.
10. Helps Improve Speaking Abilities – singing improves the speaking ability for people with autism, Parkinson’s, aphasia following a stoke, and stuttering.