sunday WORSHIP

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   Inspired by  Matthew 18: 1-11

The TRC of Canada began its work June 1, 2008. Its “mandate was to inform all Canadians about what happened in residential schools. The TRC documented the truth of Survivors, their families, communities and anyone personally affected by the residential school experience. This included First Nations, Inuit and Métis, former residential school students, their families, communities, the churches, former school employees, government officials and other Canadians.”[1] The commission concluded it’s work in 2015 with a lengthy comprehensive report and 94 “Calls to Action.” 

Ten years have passed and we might wonder what has been accomplished across this country. When we light our Indigenous Candle each Sunday morning and do our land acknowledgement, what does that mean to you personally? 

This United Church of ours has been very active in supporting indigenous reconciliation efforts in what I would call outreach ministries – monetary support for land claims and in recent years support for identification of unmarked graves, from children buried at residential schools. Continued support is offered for healing initiatives for survivors of the residential school system, and its intergenerational impacts through the Mission and Service Healing Fund. And some of you will know we have a very active UC Native Ministry, which at present is developing their own unique Indigenous Church. We are grateful for the relationships we continue to foster and enhance with our First Peoples. 

Of course, there is a long way to go as we have been told by wise indigenous leaders. Reconciliation is a process not a singular event, is a journey. The impact of our imperialist history runs deep, and it will take generations to undo past harms and misunderstandings. 

There are many systems we have created that today just do not serve indigenous people well. Despite indigenous children making up only 7.7% of the overall child population, 53.8% of the children in foster care are indigenous.[2] In 2020/2021, Indigenous people in Canada were incarcerated at a much higher rate than non-Indigenous people. On an average day that year there were 42.6 Indigenous people in provincial custody per 10,000 population, compared to 4.0 non-Indigenous people.[3]

Many of us struggle with the question, what can I do individually in justice seeking healing and reconciliation with our indigenous brothers and sisters?

Phyllis Webstad was six years old when she went to residential school at St. Joseph’s Residential School Mission in Lytton. It was 1973. Phyllis describes her first day, 

Like many kids around the world, she was excited to go to school, and her grandmother bought her something new to wear for her first day.

“My grandmother probably couldn’t afford it, but she always bought a new set of clothes for all kids going to the Mission, and I was no exception,” Phyllis explains. “It was really exciting. I picked out an orange shirt, and it was really shiny and it just sparkled.”

When she arrived, however, she was stripped of her clothes and her orange shirt was taken away, never to be worn again.

Since that day, the colour orange had always symbolized to Phyllis that she didn’t matter. “Orange has always been to me… not mattering to anyone,” she says. “Nobody cared that we had feelings. So, to me, that’s what orange meant.”[4]

After telling her story publicly the first “Orange Shirt Day” was acknowledged on September 30, 2013, across Canada. This was not an event to celebrate and party, it was, and still is, an event reminding us of past wrongdoings and sufferings and, hopefully keeps us mindful of not repeating the same mistakes again. In a way it seems to me somewhat like Remembrance Day, a time to be quiet, pray, perhaps ask for forgiveness and commit to a loving, compassionate and justice seeking relationship with our indigenous friends and neighbours. 

We remember all those beautiful and innocent children today. The atrocities committed were unconscionable. How did Christian Churches who believe in the gospels lose their way?

2-5 For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, “I’m telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you’re not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God’s kingdom. What’s more, when you receive the childlike on my account, it’s the same as receiving me.

Jesus adored children. How is it that those that believe in him could get it so wrong? When we revisit the residential school stories or others that are similar, we are drawn to anger and tears. On the global stage the horror of child labour, child pornography, children as soldiers and children as innocent victims of war, crush our spirits. I have a tendency to become discouraged. I expect you all do. Jesus asked that we look after the little ones, and that has not always happened. 

Part way through my preparing for worship today, and to the chagrin of both Valerie and Louise, I changed the scripture reference. Not entirely, but I switched from the NRSV as updated to the Message edition. That was mostly because of the author’s use of the word “childlike,” and the suggestion that the disciples behave more like children. In fact, the message version concludes with, 10 “Watch that you don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers arrogantly. You realize, don’t you, that their personal angels are constantly in touch with my Father in heaven?”

Don’t treat a single one of these childlike believers wrongly. Don’t accuse them, don’t berate them, don’t abuse them, don’t take advantage of them.

Children and those that are childlike, have a propensity to look at life through a different lens. Everyone is the same. Children play and “hang out” together. They are natural consolers, wanting to help their friends in trouble. They are justice minded, sharing their recess snacks or lunch at school with someone who doesn’t have any. They don’t make any judgements about what someone else is wearing or how they look. They don’t care about skin colour. A hat and a turban probably look the same. They get mad when someone is bullied or shamed. 

We are recognizing Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day today (actually it is Sept 30). We are recognizing it primarily because of the harm that Canada’s Indigenous People’s, especially their children have faced. And in recognizing this day on the calendar, like we would Remembrance Day, we are committing to actively pursuing better understanding of culture, tradition and history, so that we might foster better relationships. This is not a one-day commitment but generational one.

Not to be lost in all this however is the reminder to a more fundamental truth.

If we believe in Jesus, we model childlike behaviour. We come to Jesus as a child; he gathers us in his arms and blesses us. In turn we go out into the world with the kind of unshakable love he possessed. We love passionately without exception. We don’t play favourites, we don’t distinguish between coloured, white, Jew, Muslim, Christian, rich or poor. All are the same to us. All are equally children of God the Creator. 

If you chose to wear a orange ribbon today, wear it knowing you recognize the wrongs or the residential school system in Canada, and the need for improved relationships with our Indigenous Peoples. But wear it also as a reminder that we are called to be Jesus’ childlike disciples, loving, caring, compassionate, and hopeful in a world that needs us. Thanks for listening this morning. Amen

[1]Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada - NCTR, accessed September 27, 2025

[2] More than half the children in care are Indigenous, census data suggests | CBC News, accessed September 27, 2025

[3] Over-representation of Indigenous persons in adult provincial custody, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, accessed September 27, 2025

[4] Every Child Matters: Phyllis Webstad's Story Behind Orange Shirt Day, accessed September 27, 2025

   Inspired by 1 Timothy 2:1-7 (The Message Bible)

I chose The Message interpretation for this morning’s scripture that Janet read, because of its simplified language. The Message often offers a more contemporary explanation for our present- day context. In particular today, I appreciated the second verse, “Pray especially for rulers and their governments to rule well, so we can be quietly about our business of living simply, in humble contemplation.” The NSRV Updated Version which we normally read from says, “2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity.” Yesterday’s Kings (in all but a few instances), are today’s Presidents, Governors, Prime Minister’s and the like. 

In either case, the author of this scripture (perhaps Paul but uncertain), advises us to pray for leaders to make decisions so that we may live peacefully. 

Immediately I thought, Amen to that. Here is a scripture that succinctly puts into context what we want most; for our world leaders to get off their ego trips, their obsession for power, their quest for personal wealth, their mania in the pursuit of fundamentalist religious doctrine. I quite often include these hopes in our community prayers. God, would you please help us convince the powerbrokers of our time that in your world, we are one people, one community, one family of origin. These are important prayers, for as it has been for centuries, the human quest for peaceful living, kingdom living as Jesus called it, continues to be thwarted.

Thus, I had planned to focus my reflection today on the evil that permeates our societies and how that is anti-Christian and in fact anti-God in any interpretation of scripture, any understanding of what it is to be held in Holy Love. 

However, moving through this short but poignant scripture another theme is revealed.

“7 He (God) wants not only us but everyone saved, you know, everyone to get to know the truth we’ve learned: that there’s one God and only one, and one Priest-Mediator between God and us—Jesus”

The turmoil in the early Christian Church in Ephesus over doctrine caused fractions. The author hopes to bring everyone back to the cornerstone of their faith, to re-unite them– there was one God and one Jesus. God’s love was universal, and Jesus’ teachings were grounded in that premise. 

We try as best we can to follow that same doctrine today. We know one truly ubiquitous source of love in the creator, and we live a life that emulates that of Christ. In that we pray often and earnestly. We offer prayers for the hungry and unhoused. Prayers for the abused and forgotten. Prayers for those in war torn regions and we pray for peace. We pray for the unfortunate who have experienced natural disasters. We pray for those we know who have been devasted by grief. But the scripture asks if we pray for everyone? And I’m not sure I always do that.

Reflecting on this passage from Timothy, William Matthews says, “In a world of mean-spirited, us-them, simplistic right-wrong thinking, our flock needs reminding that “everyone” for whom we pray is worthy of God’s help and blessing and, likewise, our prayers for them are decidedly worth our breath.”[1]

We need to pray for everyone in the hope that even those we might call badly misguided might be “set free,” that they might come to know God. 

I wondered if anyone prays for Kim John-un, the N Korean dictator and his quest for regional domination by nuclear armament? We pray for Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his country, but do we pray for Mr. Putin? I doubt many of you are praying for President Trump or Benjamin Netanyahu. We pray for peace and healing, and we pray for the victims of violence and war. But do we pray for the instigators, those responsible? Typically, we abhor them. 

We pray they make decisions to honour and protect people rather than to oppress and abuse them. We pray for regime change; we even pray for victory of one force over another in the hope that peace may come. But this scripture says don’t forget we need to pray for everyone. That means those we dislike, those than incense us, those we wish might fall from grace. This feels unrealistic and unfathomable. It seems to me an exceedingly difficult task. 

Yesterday I caught a glimpse of President Trump’s visit to the UK, and I said to Lenore, “I’m sure glad I am not a world leader because I could not stand to look that man in the face let alone shake his hand.” I just don’t think I could do that. That would be like shaking hands with evil itself. I couldn’t stand to be in the same room with him. Pray for him? You have to be joking! God what are you asking of me? To pray for those who are instruments of harm seems so countercultural. And it feels if anything contrary to my faith. 

But the author of 1 Timothy says, God wants not only us, but everyone saved, God wants everyone to know the truth we’ve learned. And if we do that, the truth will eventually get out. What truth is that?

A couple of days ago a ministry friend of mine and I were chatting about this theme. I was expressing my difficulty in the universal call that is asked of us, pray for everyone, that all may know the joy offered by the new kin-dom. And I asked her what was that truth that was eventually going to get out?

Sometime after our talk she replied saying, as we look to Jesus, God’s voice of peace, hope justice and love in our world, “It's not about believing in him, It is about believing him.” I had to read that over several times before I really understood what she was getting at.

My personal belief in Jesus the person, Jesus who walked the earth, the Jesus who taught of God’s universal love, is not as important as what he taught. We wouldn’t know Jesus today if we met him on the street or he knocked on our door. But we know what he said. Believe the message; that there is room for all, that all God’s children have equal status, that we need reconciliation not retribution for errors made, that coercion and oppression are not a part of the kin-dom. We believe in the truth of Jesus’ message, the fundamental tenet that we are to love one another as Jesus loved all those he met, ate with, and worshipped with. He would find love too for his accusers and his betrayers. “Forgive them Father for they do not know what they are doing,” were his last words before he died. (Luke 23:34) 

In believing him, believing Jesus, we also believe in the power of prayer. Prayer can affect change. Prayer can hold up the grief stricken. Prayer can envelope the hopeless and desperate in a cocoon of light and warmth. And if we believe Jesus, we must believe also that prayer can even affect change in the minds and souls of those who are cruel, are driven by greed and ego, who manipulate through corruption and brutality, who believe themselves to be superior. 

Is that a very naïve dream? Are we foolish to think that our speaking of a universal God of Love can be heard by everyone? Is it irrational to believe as Jesus did, that every heart was capable of holding that love?

We have to believe that eventually the news will get out. We can’t lose that hope. And so, we will continue to pray for it, and also that we may be a part of that reality through the lives we live, and the prayers we offer to all that might receive them. Thanks for listening this morning, Amen

[1] Homiletical, p 1

   Inspired by  Luke 15:1-10

It’s getting close to curling season again. Just a few more weeks. I can’t wait! 

I curl in Summerland, and our club is doing some promotions to try and increase our membership. Yesterday, at the Summerland Fall Fair we had a booth set up and some curling displays. I helped out with the first shift from 9-11. We didn’t have a lot of inquiries but some, mostly younger folks, visited, which is fantastic.

While standing by the booth with my coffee and fresh apple fritter, I gazed over to the drum circle which was quite close to our booth. A drum group was working the crowd with their rhythms, sometimes staccato and at other times smooth and perfectly coordinated. They invited passers-by to join them, and the air was filled with a beat, that had many of us dancing on the spot. (If you can call jogging in place and swaying in place dancing).

I wondered as I was watching, where the sinners were. Because there are sinners in every crowd. In every gathering, in every community, in every town, perhaps even in every church congregation there are sinners. Now these are not folks that fit my Reader’s Digest definition of sinner; “One who has committed a transgression, especially when deliberate of a law having divine authority. One who has transgressed against religious laws or moral principles.” No, I don’t mean that kind of sinner. I’m referring to the kind of sinner that Luke refers to in his gospel account. Sinners in Jesus time were a rather broad category of whom we might say were undesirables.

That category has shifted over time. Still called sinners in some circles, today they would encompass street people, the unhoused, gay and lesbian individuals, those considered to be of inferior race, illegal immigrants (and many legal immigrants too), prostitutes (both men and women), many of the poor and desperate, addicts, refugees, foreigners and others. It is alarming that in these times of such enlightenment, if indeed we can call it that, so much ignorance abounds. Its alarming and incredibly disappointing. 

And yet, it seems as if there is less tolerance for recognizing and celebrating our differences, and more propensity for criticism, ridicule, exclusion and even persecution of “the other.” It comes from folks that don’t agree with our politics. Individuals who don’t like the way we talk about God, or the way we speak about the meaning of scripture. Someone who has bias towards our family of origin or our marital status. Someone really stuck on their right to entitlement.

In Jesus’ mind and in God’s kin-dom there are none that are to be cast aside. All are to be welcomed as universal children. There are no exceptions. We express this in our very own Mission Statement: “Our mission is a call to inclusive, loving and compassionate discipleship.” 

Jesus acted out his mission through teaching. Healing came about through his pastoral presence. Those that listened to him, those labelled sinners of the time, found in him a passion for the human condition they had never experienced before. He welcomed them into his circle. He sat with them, ate with them, prayed with them. The marginalized, the lower-class citizens, women. He ate with them all, not just those like the Pharisees with high social standing. And we know he spoke with and healed the blind, lepers, the prostitute and others. All considered sinners.

Jesus gave them renewed purpose and a sense of belonging. He made his newly gathered community feel accepted, honoured and above all, loved. That had never happened before. 

It is no surprise whatsoever then, that those that came to know Jesus came also into his fold, changed their outlook, were converted to Jesus’ new way. In biblical terms they “repented,” striking a new path, joining a new kin-dom of believers. Repent not as an expression of remorse for past behavior or to seek forgiveness but repenting through transformation. 

The two parables we heard from Luke this morning celebrate the life-giving grace offered to someone who is lost and then found. Someone, on the outside looking in. Someone perhaps down on their luck, someone ostracized or shunned. Someone who needs to be loved. Someone at the Summerland Fall Fair, someone in this community or perhaps someone in this COF.

No sheep herder in his right mind would leave his flock of 99 sheep to find one who has been lost. It would be safer, more prudent, to look after the remaining 99 than risk catastrophe leaving them behind and wondering off by himself. One in one hundred is a small loss to bear. Better to leave well enough alone.

But in this parable the lost sheep represents one of the lonely, lost and disheartened, a sinner (an outsider) who needs to be brought into a community of love and support. A soul worthy of saving.

A woman is distraught because she has lost a valuable coin, a coin with which she could probably purchase a sheep. She searches high and low for the coin and when she finds it, she throws a party inviting her friends and neighbours. Clearly the monetary value of the lost coin is not the important part of the parable. 

Perhaps we are meant to see this as the re-acquainting of an estranged son or daughter who has now returned, someone who was lost and now is found. Someone who has come back into the fold. Perhaps the woman needed to find herself again, and did so, bringing herself back from an abyss of despondency, from the perils of self-destructive behavior. “Just so, I tell you,” she says, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Thinking back to yesterday and Summerland, what I wonder could be a productive way to inform the crowd of this incredible parable. What great news I could share. 

There was a stage nearby and I suppose I could have gone over and pinched the mic and started. “Hi everyone, my name is Ian, and I have a story for you. There was a woman who had 10 coins. She lost one and……………………….” I imagine clearing out the crowd fairly quickly or answering to the local RCMP for my actions. Certainly, my buds at the curling booth would have scattered immediately.

Perhaps back here in Peachland I could plug in my headset and stand outside the sanctuary door when the bargain bin is open. They have lots of customers during the week. “Hi friends, I’m Ian, the minister here. I would like to tell you a story. There was a herdsman who had 100 sheep and unfortunately, he lost one. So, he left 99 or them and struck out to find the lost one…………...” I know what would happen. The Bargain Bin sales would plummet, and the board would ask me to retire earlier than I have planned. 

God how do I, how do we minister to those on the margins of society, those that feel like outcasts, those that have been made to feel inferior, those that have been told they are not welcome, those that are told they should go back to their own country? How do we support same sex couples and transgender folks? What is the best way to support the street person who wanders around our building or the alcoholic who we find passed out in the parking lot? How do we care for all who have been called sinners?

We live our Mission Statement. “Our mission is a call to inclusive, loving and compassionate discipleship.” 

We love our neighbour as our self. We stop short of passing judgement. We practice good listening. We honour our differences. We focus on being patient, kind and pastoral. We follow Jesus, eating with the tax collectors, seeking out the lost sheep, sharing our resources and loving one another fearlessly. I suppose we could sum up by saying we practice what we preach. Thanks for listening this morning, Amen

   Inspired by Psalm 139 and John 3:8

One never knows when a good read will inspire you. And I have had a few of them courtesy of Chris and his extensive library. Most recently he lent me Alexander Kent’s “Sloop of War.” It is a very engaging page turner published back in 1974, depicting the British at war with America and the French from 1778 through 1781. It has all the thrills of a great adventure story. Cunning strategies of experienced captains, battles at sea, incredible bravery, tragedy, determination, and of course treachery and betrayal. 

It is difficult to appreciate the life of a seaman in those times. Their duties were grueling and exhausting. One could perish falling from the rigging just as easily as from cannon ball fire or a round from a musket. Stale water, mealy bread, rancid pork. Pestilence and disease. It wasn’t a time for the weak or the faint of heart. 

And the constant threats from weather would unnerve most anyone. Gail force winds could drive a ship ashore or onto a nearby reef, rip the sails apart or break the masts like matchsticks. A helpless ship could be swamped in minutes with the loss of all hands. No wind at all was bad news as well. A ship could drift for miles and miles and with no steerage, be ground to a pulp on a rocky shore. 

I suppose my ancestors could have been sailors, but I’m not cut from that cloth. That would not be the life for me. 

With the thoughts of the recent passing of our son-in-law, it occurred to me how similar our lives are to that of a 16th Century sailor. Life is unpredictable. Anything can happen at any time. We can be cast upon the rocks of tragedy without warning. The bitter reality of losing a loved one is on the top of that list. 

Times of feeling lost or abandoned in open sea on a sailboat with no wind is something many people experience. Even if you had oars to attempt to move you forward, you soon fall exhausted and unable to continue. Those with depressive illnesses, the chronically ill, the disheartened and the grieving know that place. 

And we have all experienced violent storms in our living. Sometimes we have had to hang on by our fingernails through chaos and crisis. We have been blown about mercilessly and when we have finally emerged, we are battered, bruised and spent. 

Loss, illness, discouragement, worry and fear can cast us into hopelessness, and take the wind from our sails. And it can be very difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to catch it again.

Yes, as John says, “8 The wind[e] blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes.” Sometimes it might take us to a safe harbour. Other times to the depths of despair. 

Everyone who has lived through a tragic event understands that there is no panacea, no silver bullet, no life-giving antidote that provides a remedy for our ailments. That is wishful thinking at best.

So how do we fill our sails again? How God do we get the ship righted and sailing on a course to hope? Tell us God what to do and we will follow.

Time and again I find it fascinating that scripture can open my eyes and provide me with prophetic visions. The Psalm Marsha read this morning is one of those scriptures. In many ways it could have been written yesterday rather than some time in the 10thCentury BCE. Wisdom jumps off the pages. 

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and night wraps itself around me,”[a] 12 even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.

Night is as bright as day to you; darkness is as light to you. Do you mean that even in my times of loss, my hopelessness, my uncertainty and grief you are their God? Are you prophesizing that today, as in the time of King David so long ago, there is the possibility that our torn sails and broken masts might be repaired, and our ships set again on a course towards our renewal? Is it possible that your reassuring breath may fill our lives once more, relieve our pain and bring us to a hopeful place, a safe harbour?

This Psalm was apparently written by King David himself in some of his times of crisis. These are not just a poet’s inquires on a page, they are words of experience, words through human eyes, words from someone who needed to hold onto hope. Words from someone who lived in troubled times. For me King David’s offering sings out to me, 

7 Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning and settle at the farthest limits of the sea, 10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast.

Where can I go when I am in doubt, when I am fretful and anxious? God your hands trustingly reach out to me then. I sense a nurturing presence, a trusting peace.

Where can I go when I am shaken, unsure, unnerved by some circumstance? Holy One you offer shelter from the storm, a liminal space where I can rest.

Where can I go when I am stricken by grief, unsure what to do, unable to cope? I can go where Holy Love resides. A place where you will dry my tears and in time, put your living breath back into my sails. 

I can go there anytime. When I close my eyes and consider the vastness of your ubiquitous love, I am comforted, for you are always there waiting. 

Thanks for listening this morning. Amen 

Inspired by Luke 6: 37-42 & Luke 7: 36-50

Have you ever been part of a group where you had a sense that your acceptance was tentative at best? In some ways, my memories of school are like that. We moved over 20 times during those years, so I was always the new kid, the strange one, the outcast. Being shy, made it difficult for me to make friends.

Most of us tend to “label” people, to judge them just by their appearance. According to Mr. Google – To judge someone means to form an opinion or evaluation about them, usually based on their actions, words, appearance, or other aspects. Judging someone can be positive or negative, depending on whether the judgment is fair, accurate, and constructive or if it is biased, inaccurate, and harmful. Judging someone can also affect how we treat them and how we feel about them.

HOW DOES THIS WORK

After a while being in proximity with someone, we often know who they are. The good and the bad. At least what we like and don’t like as much. For those of us who have an unknown spirit within us to label people, our default is often to put people into a box.

Why do we label others? Is it because we fear the unknown? Do we feel insecure? Do we compare ourselves to them? Do we need to feel superior? Are we influenced by our culture and biases?

Whether consciously or not, we judge others all the time. It’s human nature to size up people and situations, but is it harmful? Probably, because judging someone affects how we treat them, how we feel about them, and how we perceive ourselves in relation to them. Therefore, judging someone is not a trivial matter but a complex and nuanced process that requires careful consideration and empathy.

At one of our Affirming Circle meetings, Marsha mentioned that as soon as we put a label on someone, we see them differently. We no longer can see them as they were before. Yet, they are still the same person, the same human being. 

Essentially, when we label someone, we put a ceiling over the person’s growth and potential when we box them in. We mark a line in the sand and say: “We can never cross it because of who I know you to be.” 

Who are we to place them in a box? In reality, we know very little about them or how God is working in their lives. By labelling them, are we also putting ourselves in a box? I think so because we are limiting our possibilities of new friendships.

People change. We all do; we are constantly changing. So let’s not box people in. Let’s grow together.

YES, PEOPLE CHANGE

Are we not more mature, more experienced about life’s challenges now than when we were teenagers (now that’s a long time ago), or even just a year ago? We’ve made mistakes, we all do! We need to be careful that we don’t judge someone with a benchmark that we would not want our own lives to be judged by. David always said, “When you point the figure you have three fingers coming back at you.”

Does God only choses winners, already successful people? Well polished people, mature people? If we look closely at Jesus’ lineage, it seems that it came through the lives of messed up people. Look at the disciples. Did he choose religious leaders or high-status citizens? No, He chose common, uneducated, rough-around-the-edges people.

Do we really think God only works in people like us? Remember Larry King? He was a great TV and radio host known for his straight to the point interviewing technique. He hosted 'Larry King Live' for 25 years. We trusted him. Right! But, if I told you that when he was 38 years old, he was arrested in Miami for grand larceny. Would you still see him the same way? Would his label be the same? Would he remain in the same box you had him in? Maybe, your trust level just went down a notch or two. But why? He made a mistake; he learnt from it and changed – changed for the better.

BY BOXING SOMEONE IN ARE WE REJECTON GOD?

God can change people. When we put people in a box and never allow them to grow, to change, are we telling God who he can work on or through? 

We know what both acceptance and rejection feel like, don’t we? Acceptance feels FANTASTIC. I wanted to overcome my shyness and fear of public speaking, so I joined the Christopher Leadership Course in 1995. Christopher Leadership is a program that provides a unique opportunity to develop your leadership style and abilities. It teaches and explores these concepts through the framework of the Gospel message. I passed Level 1 and 2 and, along the way, I learnt not only speaking skills, but I discovered hidden talents. It also helped me increase my confidence and enthusiasm. I will always remember the joy and pride I felt when I was asked to join the team of instructors. 

You see, you can only be invited to become an instructor if all four of your instructors agree unanimously that you could make a difference and be part of the team. What a great feeling and privilege. I thought classes for two seasons as part of the team then I was invited to be the Team Leader for the next session.

But what about rejection? Anybody remember what it feels like to be rejected? Rejection feels HORRIBLE. Rejection feels most unwelcome. Were you ever the last one to be chosen to join the team? Remember that letter after an application to university, or to a position that you really wanted that said, “We regret to inform you …” We didn’t need to read the rest. We knew. I got one of those letters after applying to become a flight attendant with Air Canada in my early 20s. It was like being rejected twice because it was so generic, no explanation on the why! It would have been helpful to know so I could improve, grow, and possibly re-apply.

JESUS DIDN’T BOX PEOPLE IN

In today’s reading, Jesus did not reject the woman that had been boxed in by the Pharisees. On the contrary he accepted her for who she was – not what she had been “labelled” to be. 

The moment we understand that God sees us exactly the way we are, and says, "I am satisfied with you. You are accepted by me," then we have no right to say anything less about ourselves or anyone else. That means that we can accept that although we are one-of-a-kind, we are also all part of a bigger family called “Humanity”. 

Lily Ebert, a Holocaust survivor, in her book Lily’s Promise, says: “It’s so important to tell the world what can happen when we are not tolerant of each other. That is the main thing to understand. When somebody is different from you, it doesn’t mean they are worse or better. They are only different. If we can understand that, then we can live in peace with one another.”

If we can accept the fact that you, like me, are not perfect, that God has us under construction; then, we can understand that we all need acceptance and unconditional love, rather than rejection and being labeled and boxed in.

I’d like to share a 4-minute video with you that really spoke to me. It showed me that we all have the same worries, the same fears, wrongdoings, the same joys and hopes. I hope it speaks to you too. Play VIDEO 

This video also tells me that God wants us to know that He loves us and accepts us all just the way we are – flaws and all. We don’t have to do anything to earn His love except love each other as He loves us. That leads us to the main point of the message today: Let’s not box people in – we are all unique, yet part of His big family called “Humanity”. Amen.  

Inspired by John 13:1-35 and Revelation 21: 1-6

Have you ever thought about what is going on in the world today in terms of Peter’s experience? Have you ever wondered why so many are afraid of immigrants, legal or not? Do we realize that Sunday morning can be the most exclusive, segregated, and separate time of the week? All week long we work with, bump against, commute with, and eat with people who are not like us, but often on Sunday we attend a church that consists mostly of people like ourselves.

There are exceptions, of course. But many of our churches do not look anything like the communities that we live in, the grocery stores we shop in, or the movie theaters we attend. Why is that? Do you ever wonder?

We all get into mental ruts and often need a whack on the side of the head to jar us into new and better ways of thinking. We also bring a lot of wrong-thinking baggage with us into our Christian life. If we are truly going to live by our Vision and Calling, then maybe every once in a while, God has to take a 2x4 and gently whack us on the side of the head to help us change our thinking.

The writer of Revelation, our second reading for today, offers a passage often read at funerals. The image of death having been vanquished, of mourning and crying being no more, and of God wiping away every tear is a powerful image, followed by the declaration that God is making all things new. One of those new things is surely the way we experience one another as diverse gifts of the God, who made us all. If we begin to change our way of thinking about people who are different from us in race or culture, then we will see them as God’s gifts to us. That gives us a whole different point of view toward the many people God brings into our lives. Sure, we can turn away from them, but does that not mean we are turning away from God?

When we hear the gospel reading, Jesus’ own words call us to love one another, “Just as I have loved you.” This is not a phrase easily dismissed. Jesus’ entire ministry, including his passion and resurrection, hangs on this sentence. Jesus loved people in a radical way. Today he would be – and often is – in the supermarket talking with the cashiers, the stockers, and the customers finding their way through a bewildering array of products. He is there because that is where all of us go to buy food. He is there because that may be where a lonely newcomer to town gets a smile at the cash register, or even a query, “Are you new here? Welcome.”

So, what about church? What about that Sunday morning experience that is often the place where we see only familiar faces, only people like us, only people we know? Is Jesus here? Are we following his teachings? We say we are welcoming – but if someone sits in our pew!

Our culture impresses upon us the idea that love is primarily a feeling that happens to us. Today’s reading, however, demonstrates that love is primarily about action rather than feeling. 

Don’t mistake what I’m saying — our emotions are vital and important parts of who we are. I am simply saying that love, from the Biblical perspective, is rooted in action.

Let’s take a look at the scene from John’s reading. Jesus and his disciples have returned to Jerusalem, where Jesus’ enemies are on the lookout for him. Jesus and his disciples are celebrating the Passover meal in private. Imagine — the disciples are full of exuberance, eagerly awaiting the reward that will come when Jesus establishes the kin-dom of God. But Jesus knows what is coming. So, in these last hours before the soldiers come to take him away, Jesus gives his disciples a vivid example of the kind of life to which they are called. Jesus gives them and us an example of living a life of love.

God changes our thinking with his action and teaching 

The first thing he shows us is that love is about action. This was way before paved roads. Dirt streets were dusty and dry, and most people walked, so feet got dirty. Ordinarily, it was the duty of the host to have a servant ready to wash the feet of guests so they might enjoy their meal in comfort. Since no servant was available, it logically would have fallen to one of the disciples to wash the feet of the others. 

But the disciples had just been arguing over who would be greatest in the kin-dom. So clearly these “great princes in the kin-dom” were too proud to perform the menial task of washing one another’s feet. Imagine for a moment the confusion among them as the Master — the last one who should be doing this — stands, puts on servant’s clothing, and carries a basin and begins washing feet. Here Jesus teaches us that love is an action of service and humility. Jesus meets a need where others are too proud to act.

God changes our thinking by repeating the lesson until it sinks in

In case his disciples miss the point, Jesus keeps coming back to it. Verses 13-17 show how Jesus instructs his disciples to follow his example by washing one another’s feet. Again, down in verse 34-35, Jesus says to love one another. Jesus’ command here is to actively express our love to one another. In today’s world, this applies to how we love and care for one another not only within the church but within our community. 

As we think about love as action rather than love as feeling, I believe the most accessible summary of Scripture’s teaching on this is in Dr. Gary Chapman’s book The Five Love Languages. His idea is that there are 5 main ways we, as humans, actively express love: 

1. Touch, 

2. Words of affirmation, 

3. Quality time, 

4. Gifts, and 5. Acts of service. 

These are the primary types of actions that we can take to show our love. Most of us will tend to focus in one of these love languages — it becomes our primary way of expressing and understanding love. If we do not receive love back in that language, then we might feel unloved. Our challenge, as Christians, is that we should all work on becoming masters of communicating love to everyone we encounter. 

Let’s look at how we can express our love through touch: when we know someone need hug, handshake, or comforting arms around the shoulders – Let’s give it to them. Then we have words of affirmation. Why not send a wee note of encouragement or thank you card or give a spontaneous compliment when it is least expected. David was notorious when it came to thank you cards. But sometimes just listening can speak louder than words. What about quality time? It could simply be staying in touch with shut-ins, experiencing a cultural event with someone, or creating opportunities to meet for coffee with friends. I meet with my French Connection every Wednesday – Then the good old gifts. it doesn’t necessarily mean spending money; it could be simply sharing your skills and knowledge. 

Finally, acts of service: These could be acts of kindness like opening doors, saying hello or smiling at strangers which might lift someone up and even change the trajectory of their life. 

I’ve been reading Cicely Tyson’s autobiography, and I liked what she wrote: “When you give yourself away, when you surrender yourself as a divine vessel, you impact lives eternally.” 

The end picture is if we put more energy in showing our love actions for one another then our blessings will overflow and affect the those who witness them. There’s a reason why Jesus says, “By this all men will know you are my disciples.” If we love one another, the whole world will see and know the meaning of love in action.

God changes our thinking by jarring us through uncomfortable feelings

After showing that love is action, Jesus also demonstrates that love is receiving. Looking at the passage, as Peter figures out what Jesus is doing, Peter tells Jesus to stop. Look how Jesus replies: “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” This is probably the hardest part of the passage — it’s easy for most of us to share our love with other people, but boy, it’s the hardest thing to be the recipient? It takes humility to serve someone else; it takes even more humility to admit that we need help. Most of us like to think that we are the Master of our lives – that we have everything under control — that we are independent and can make it on our own. There’s an unspoken sense of shame with admitting that we need someone else. But as Jesus points out here, if we try to stand on our own, we have no part of him. 

We cannot stand on our own, we must rely upon each other! Each of us must learn to depend on the people sitting next to us and across from us. Learning that kind of humility is hard.

God changes our thinking by seeing that He is the Mastermind – not us!

Love may be “action”, love may be “receiving” but love also extends to the unlovable. 

Note that after Jesus performs this expression of love, he reveals that one of his followers will betray him, and he tells Peter to his face that Peter will deny him. He knows that Judas is a traitor, and he still shows love toward him. He knows that Peter will deny him, and he still shows love toward him. This is consistent with what Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:43-44: “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” 

If Christ was filled with enough love to wash the feet of a traitor and a coward, then how much more should we express love to those who are unlovable to us? How much more should we love that irritating person who gets on our very last nerve? I have some of those. How much more should we love that person who talks incessantly without giving us a chance to reply. I have some of those too. How much more should we love that person whose pettiness astounds us to no end? Yip got those! How much more should we love our brothers and sisters when they are childish, thoughtless, selfish, mean, and just plain rude? I know it’s hard. It’s impossible. We can’t do it without God working within us. 

We couldn’t do it if we didn’t know that God loved them first. We couldn’t do it if we didn’t know that God loved us even when we’re unlovable.

Yes, God often has to whack us to get us to change. If we’re comfortable, we don’t feel any need to change. But if we’re suddenly hit with a new situation that’s outside our comfort zone, we realize that our old ways of thinking won’t do. We have to listen to God and trust Him to do something we can’t do on our own.

So, let’s try it. Intentionally act out love — let’s look for opportunities that are blessings. Let’s have the humility to receive blessings from others and graciously say “thank you”. 

Finally, let’s have the tenacity to love the unlovable. And when we have a hard time doing these things — let’s talk to God. He knows we can’t do it alone, so he’ll help us discover what’s so great about love. Let’s think about that. Amen. Thank you for listening.

  Inspired by Mark 6:30-34

We are, in many ways, a weary people. Literally and figuratively, we’re tired.

Let's give ourselves an “A: for effort. We keep our minds so preoccupied with work projects that we act and think on autopilot. We keep our schedules so full of meetings and housekeeping and even entertaining that down-time sounds like a mortal sin. When we fail to rest, we do more than risk burnout. We misunderstand the God who calls us to rest--who created us to be people of rest. Let's face it: our rest needs work. I should know because I’m probably in the triple “A” earners category!

According to Statistics Canada 

· People aged 35-64 are the most likely to not get enough sleep. In the 18-34 and over 65 groups, 1 in 4 said they are not getting enough sleep.

· 21% of car accidents are caused by lack of sleep.

· We increase our risk of coronary heart disease by 48% if we sleep less than 6 hours per night.

· 30% of Canadians have insomnia and 2.2% from obstructive sleep apnea.

· 36.3% of people sleeping less than the recommended 7 hours report feeling chronically depressed.

That is a serious problem! Fatigue and exhaustion can have severe consequences. Lack of sleep can affect our physical and mental health. It can also be deadly. We hear about doctors, nurses, teachers, all raise the alarm of burnout. What about pilots, truck drivers? Sleep deprivation is a worrying problem, that affects our lifestyle, our work, and our relationships. Sleep disorders will cause other medical problems.

We often hear people say: “God help me, I’m exhausted,” “I’m running myself ragged,” “I’m wiped out,” “I’m spent,” “I’m running on empty,” “I just need a nap,” and “I need caffeine.” 

People are tired these days and they will tell you so. We are over-worked, over-committed, over-extended, stretched-thin, stressed-out, and burnt-out. We are too busy, we are too tired, and we will tell you about it. 

Is there some kind of strange competition going on where we try to outdo each other with how busy and how tired we are? In a curious way, busyness has become a socially desirable good. 

In today's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to do something. What he says is: “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” In other words, he tells them to take a break to devote some time to being rather than doing.

He often tells us the same thing. “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while.” What He is telling us is we need to take a break and devote some of our time to “being” rather than “doing”. Yet often we ignore this command. We want to follow Jesus and are willing to take action. But when it comes to rest, when it comes to Jesus telling us to take a break for a while, we say “but rest is too simple” so we ignore what Jesus tells us.

We are a busy, busy people! Ask anybody how they are doing, and you’re more than likely going to hear about how worn-out they are.

The pace of modern life has picked up, with keyboards clicking and computers crunching and cell phones chirping with their instantaneous messages around the globe. Contradicting the optimistic predictions of people in the 1950s and 1960s, these technological feats have not led to more leisure time for us. Quite the contrary. 

Most people are busier than ever most likely because they are glued to their smartphones as if their lives depended on them. We need to remember what Pope Francis once said, “we are not machines, we need to rest.”

We are not just physically tired - We are “world weary.” We are exhausted by many things in our lives. In our work lives, people speak of being tired of the rat race, the daily grind. In our political lives, people are tired of wars, broken promises, empty rhetoric, partisan bickering, and fake news. In our personal lives, we are tired of being alone, tired of assumed expectations, tired of the routine. We are tired of feeling angry all the time, or feeling afraid all the time, or feeling worthless all the time. 

In so many ways we are a tired and weary people.

In today’s gospel, Jesus addresses the weariness and busyness of his apostles. The apostles gathered around Jesus and told him all that they were doing and all that they were teaching, and, apparently, they were very busy. They were so busy, we are told, that they didn’t even have time to eat. So many people were coming and going, that they didn’t even have a chance to grab something on the go. So, Jesus’ words to them must have felt like cool, refreshing water to people who are thirsty. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” 

How refreshing this response must have been to his weary disciples. Notice Jesus didn’t respond to the apostles’ reports about what they were doing by going over a new strategic plan. Notice he didn’t respond to their reports of what they were teaching by going over a new curriculum. No. He said to his weary apostles, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.”

Jesus invites us to rest, yet we treat rest as a four-letter word. If people are resting, we may be leery of them. If we are resting, we are suspicious of ourselves?

There's always more to do, further ways to justify our existence by what we produce. We think we are irreplaceable. As a caregiver, I remember thinking “No one can do it better than me! – No one knows David’s needs better than me!” In the face of this, Jesus smiles and says, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest for a while.”

If asked, most of us could recite the pattern of busyness as we engage in it day-by-day, week-after-week. But can we do the same about our rest? Do we have patterns established that insure that going off by ourselves to rest for a while is a reality for us, rather than simply a desire?

We may lack such patterns of rest, but we can take steps to establish them. Gradually we can build into our lives rhythms of rest and solitude to balance out the busy rhythms that already pulsate so strongly. It can be done. When David’s eldest son, John, was here it forced me to stop, and to relax for a while. You see I had to drive him to various golf courses and wait for him – no crossing the bridge 4 times in a day so I brought a book while I waited for him. No emails, no reports, no phone calls – I finished the book!

Let me mention a little book by Lynn Baab called Sabbath Keeping. Sabbath recalls our creation, and with it, God's satisfaction with us as he made us, without our hurried wrangling and harried worrying. Lynn helps us see that the sabbath is not something to keep, but a way of living that helps us become people who work when it's appropriate, rest when it's appropriate, and even rest and work at the same time. She sees sabbath as a road to living a life of plenty.

The French mathematician and theologian Blaise Pascal once said that more than half this world's ills come from how people cannot sit in a room alone. Our refusal to rest can hurt us, the people around us, and the endeavors to which we devote ourselves.

A lot of us try to function without the Rest Factor that Jesus wants us to include in our lives. We're plenty busy, but the results are disappointing. When we factor in some rest, some sabbath time, we are not working as much, but what we do is more significant, more meaningful than it was when we were always on the go.

No doubt our faith requires us to do certain things as well as believe certain things. No doubt we are created to find meaning and value in the work we do, especially when it is done to the greater good of God. But our weariness in what we do, and our pervasive busyness are signs that something isn’t quite right. 

Could our constant business and weariness be signs of our failed illusions that we are in control of our lives? Do we really think that we can make ourselves right with God through our actions and beliefs? Rather than see our weariness as a sign that something is out of whack, we take it as a sign that we are making headway. Because we are so busy, we feel that we merit at least a little divine favour. NO WAY!

When the apostles gathered around Jesus, they told him all that they were doing and all that they were teaching. They were so busy, so many people were coming and going, they didn’t even have time to eat. Did Jesus admire them? NO WAY! Jesus said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” 

Jesus knows what we need, even when we don’t. When we gather around him, we may want to tell him all the things we’ve done. We say to ourselves, surely all these things will prove how important and valuable we are. NO WAY!

Jesus looks past all our illusions, and he doesn’t even mention them, because if he did, he would have to remind us that all that we are, all that we do, are gifts from God in the first place. Instead, he looks into our hearts and sees what we truly desire, what we truly need. 

He makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters and restores our souls. And he says to us, “Come away to a place all by yourselves and rest a little while with me.”  AMEN