Pastoral Reflections

Greetings in the name of our God who speaks into our lives through the practice of hospitality!

There is a wonderful verse of scripture that we find in the last chapter of the letter to the Hebrews. “Let love continue among you. ² Don’t forget to extend your hospitality to all—even to strangers—for as you know, some have shown kindness to angles/heavenly messengers without ever knowing it. (Hebrews 13: 1-2)

This verse of scripture captures so well a theme of hospitality that runs through the whole of scripture. Early in the formation of God’s people they are reminded that beyond the important practice of loving and caring for each other they “shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 10:19; also Leviticus 19:34). Jesus through his earthly life modelled hospitality well as he welcomed many people into his life, those closest to him and those he was meeting for the first time. Jesus through his teaching even reminded his followers that when they extend hospitality to those in need they welcome and extend hospitality to the very presence of God!

“…for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me…. ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:35, 40)

This notion, that in welcoming human people into our lives we may in fact be welcoming God, is made so clear in the story of Abraham and Sarah that is recorded in Genesis 18:1-15. Abraham and Sarah have set up their home for a time near Hebron, by “the oak trees of Mamre.” Often, in the heat of the day they would rest in the shade of one of the oak trees. In the Genesis 18 story Abraham is resting but clearly not sleeping. Abraham is awake to the hospitality customs of his day; what scholars call “the ancient law of the desert.” Such hospitality was developed and practiced among nomadic and particularly the Bedouin peoples of the Ancient Near East because in that landscape, hospitality was a matter of human survival. Comfort Inn and Super 8 hotels, along with all the other lodging and eating places, had not yet made their debut. So everyone had an eye open to those who may need a cool place to rest, a refreshing drink of water and a bite to eat. On that particular day Abraham sees “three men” coming near. He instinctively jumps up and runs to meet them. He welcomes them to have a little water, a little bread and some needed rest. He seems to go a little overboard because the “little” snack quickly becomes a gigantic feast. I have to wonder if maybe Abraham was thinking/expecting that these “men” could actually be “heavenly messengers”! Genesis 18 certainly leads us to think in that direction. “The Lord appeared to Abrahamby the oaksof Mamre, as he sat at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day. ² He looked up and saw three men standing near him…”

Abraham and Sarah were at a point in their life where needed a word from God. Their hope for the future was getting as dry as the heat of the day. They had been waiting for years for the fulfillment of the promise of God to make them into a great nation. It seemed like they may never see the promise fulfilled. They were a bit discouraged but kept working to be a blessing and extend hospitality as God had called them to do. They would do their part and try to trust God to do God’s part. That day, under the shade of the oak tree, the Lord through these “three men” speaks into Abraham and Sarah’s life. God makes his promise again in order to refresh and revive their hope.

“I will surely return to you in due season, and your wife Sarah shall have a son.”

Sarah laughs at this message for she knows that both her and Abraham have grown old (and maybe a bit cynical) and well beyond childbearing years. The Lord challenges Sarah’s laughter and then asks the question that we all need to hear, ponder and respond too. 

¹⁴ Is anything too difficult for the Lord? 

The question is meant to confront the hopelessness that Abraham and Sarah sometimes feel.

How they respond, and how we respond, to that question matters! If we answer, “YES!” and believe that some things are too hard and impossible for God then we have not yet fully confessed God as God. We are not allowing God the radical freedom that God has. We have not let God out of our self-defined box.

But if we answer, “N0!” and profess that nothing is impossible for God then we accept God’s freedom to be who God will be. We entrust ourselves and the world to God and not to our own human logic and reasoning. When we profess that nothing is too difficult for God we open our lives to the promised future and new community that God has planned for us.

When we believe that nothing is too hard for God and that all things are possible for God we need to remember that what is possible is not everything we want, but rather everything that God has promised and all that corresponds to God’s good purposes for our world and for our lives.

What reality in your life right now feels hopeless and impossible?

What promise from God can you hold too in the midst of the seeming impossibility?

As you ponder those questions ponder God’s question too: Is anything too difficult for the Lord?

The Abraham and Sarah story invites us to find ways to extend hospitality to each other, to the sister and brother we know, and to the stranger we have never met. For when we open our lives to others through the practice of hospitality, like Abraham and Sarah did, we open our lives to the messengers of God who want to speak into our lives and revive our hope. Their message, or actually God’s message and promises, will continue to empower us for this moment and for the future God has for us!

The small groups we named last week may be one potential place of hospitality that we can provide for each other, one more place God will use to speak into our lives to renew and revive hope within us. I remind you of the questions and the invitation in last week’s letter focused on small groups. We continue to invite your response.  

Greetings in the name of Jesus who said, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matthew 18:20)

Through the history of the church gathering together in the name of Jesus has been considered essential. But even before Jesus physically walked this earth and called his followers together the people of God had made it a top priority to come together regularly in order to meet with and worship God. After God had freed his people from Egypt, and established for them the law and commandments that would guide their relationships with each other, God laid out a plan for their worship gatherings. Included in those plans were the architectural designs for the Tabernacle that would be their gathering and meeting place.

As God’s people journeyed through the wilderness they carried the Tabernacle with them and set it up as their place of meeting with God. When they settled more permanently in the Promised Land plans were made and then construction began for the Temple that was built in Jerusalem. Both the Tabernacle and Temple were reminders to the people of God of the importance of gathering together to meet with and worship God. Their gathering together became an occasion to be formed in faith and to be reminded of their calling as God’s people.

While Jesus upheld and encouraged the need for God’s people to meet together for worship and formation, Jesus was less concerned about the physical place of meeting. Jesus through his teaching and life reminded us that God shows up wherever we gather. The apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth even said,

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)

Paul also wrote,

 For weare the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

God dwells within us and is present with us wherever we meet!   

We know the importance of gathering to help us be rooted in Christ, to continue to grow together in faith and to be encouraged to extend God’s love in the world. When we fail to gather we risk losing sight of God and God’s purpose for our lives. The writer to the Hebrews encouraged the church with these words:

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

For the last 5 months we have missed gathering in our church building, but we have not ceased to gather. Like the world around we have worked to find ways for meaningful connection. Our need for connection has not changed but the way we connect has significantly changed. In a Covid-19 reality we have learned that we can gather/meet/connect over zoom church, through emails, phone calls and pastoral letters, though YouTube videos and other social media connections. We have grown to appreciate even more our talks from the driveway or patio, or those more intentionally planned walks with a friend or mentor. And in all those gathering places Jesus has been there among us, even if we fail to notice or acknowledge his presence.

Greetings in the name of Jesus who carries our burdens and gives us rest.

I am a bit of a rock collector. As a child I would spent endless hours smashing rocks to see what was inside. White quartz was my favourite kind of rock. Over the years my rock collection has grown. My house is full of them! Each rock reminds me of a special place, a fun adventure or beautiful moment.

I come by this obsession honestly. My dad has an even bigger collection than I do! It wasn’t unusual for him to find an interesting stone at the top of a mountain peak where he would pick it up and pack it down. Sometimes the stones were small, more often they were pretty hefty! Walking a few steps behind, I would watch my dad struggle to carry it; shifting it from his hands to his hips, then up on his shoulder. He obviously felt that this intense effort was worth it; another great find to add to his collection. Today, I am still following in his footsteps. 

Consider, if every worry that you are carrying was a rock, how heavy would your backpack be right now? Whether we are carrying around a dozen small worries or just struggling with one massive concern, the result is the same. It wears us down. We know God invites us to let go of our worries and to travel lightly but for some reason it is hard for us to lay our burden down.

Bring to mind the worries you are carrying right now. Then slowly read the passage below three times. Notice which word or phrase jumps out at you. As you read it, are there any images or pictures that come to your mind? What does this passage have to say to you about your own life right now? How do you feel as you read it; what emotions are arising?

Don’t fret or worry. Instead of worrying pray. Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns. Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down. It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the centre of your life.  Philippians 4:6,7 (Message)

I think the Apostle Paul was on to something. Our lives will never be free from worries but spiritual practices like petition and praise can transform our worries into prayer.

Prayer is not just sitting with your eyes closed and your hands clasped. According to Richard Rohr, sometimes prayer “is sitting in the silence until it silences us, choosing gratitude until we are grateful, and praising God until we ourselves are an act of praise.”

I have come to realize, now more than ever, that if I am going to manage all the heavy stress and strain of this pandemic, I am going to need some serious spiritual practices to carry me through the year.

Spiritual practices can be anything that connects you to God: walking or sitting in nature; writing down what you are grateful for; listening to inspiring music; colour in an adult colouring book (yes, I said adult) or simply read scripture slowly like described above. Even something wild like axe throwing (in a safe way of course) can be a spiritual discipline; as you literally “let go” of the axe, you release the worries that are weighing you down. Maybe our church should set up a target or two? J

Masks; Covid tests; crowded classrooms, isolation, change, second waves, economic strain, global crisis and more Zoom!  What spiritual practices will help to settle you down and bring you to a better sense of God’s wholeness?

Jesus said, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

We don’t need to do the heavy lifting. Worries are really not worth collecting.

Come to me, all you that are weary.

Grace and Peace, Pastor Tanya

Greetings in the name of Jesus who knew the importance of slowing.

It seems to me that Jesus was never in a rush. He certainly had places to go and people to see but he never seemed in a hurry to get there.

He was the kind of person who lingered at wells, got so engaged in conversation that dinner got cold, welcomed the interruptions of children, took time to listen to people’s problems, to heal, to bless and break bread. He rested when he needed to and spent time with God in prayer.

Jesus lived life with all 5 senses. He took notice of his surroundings. He saw Zacchaeus way up in the tree. He heard Martha’s sisterly grumblings. He felt the power go out of him when the hemorrhaging women touched his cloak. He smelled the extravagance of the perfume Mary poured on his feet. He tasted the bread and he drank the wine and said: “Do this in remembrance of me.”

Do this.

Linger. Welcome. Listen. Heal. Bless. Rest. Pray. Eat together. Remember. Live life slowly and with all 5 senses.

Pre-pandemic we lived pretty busy lives. Rushing was normal. COVID-19 changed all that. In the short time span of a week – everything was either closed or cancelled; no more sports, no more children’s activities, no more social outings, no more shopping or volunteering, no more in-person gatherings.

Even though it has been hard to let go of these things, the pandemic has allowed us (forced us) to slow down. All of a sudden we had time; time to eat dinner with our family, time to play catch in the yard, time to go for walks with our spouse, time to garden, time to sew masks, time to sing and play guitar from our balconies. Even the traffic slowed down for a while!

But recently I noticed that the speed of life (and traffic) is picking up again. Businesses have opened up. People are traveling and enjoying some holidays. Sports organizations are determined to move forward with the upcoming season, all while adhering to health protocols. Schools are preparing to be up and running by fall. Even our calendars are filling up again.

Before things ramp up again, consider taking sometime this month to ask some spiritual discernment questions.  How would you describe your personal/family pace in life (pre-COVID and post-COVID)? How has this period of slowing intensified your 5 senses? What have you seen, heard, smelled, felt and tasted that you would have otherwise rushed past? How has the pandemic shifted your perspective on what is important? What will you do differently? What is most important?

As the province continues to open up, as pressure starts to mount and you feel your anxiety on the rise. Take a deep breath and consider these words from Philippians 4:8.

“I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you have learned…”

Put into practice what you have learned.

Jesus said “Do this”.

May this period of slowing down and becoming aware of all 5 of our senses, open us up to a deeper and profound experience of God’s love.

Grace and peace, Pastor Tanya