Sunday Morning with Shelburne & Primrose United Churches

Peace be with you in this new year, 2021, and in a week where peacefulness has not been much on display in the political chaos south of our borders or throughout the world. But peace we claim, because we can, even in the midst of turmoil, whether our own, or that in the outside world. When we claim peace, when we hold to peace, we offer a ballast for all that is not peaceful, a kind of homecoming place for the spirit of Christ. "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of god", which is to say, the cloak of the divine will be placed upon their shoulders.This is my last podcast, the third of a series of three personal reflections as a kind of farewell to all of you. And today, I wanted to reflect on the current state of our churches, of Christianity, and its future, and some of the things I have learned in my years ministering within those constructs.Welcome fellow sojourner, to our Sabbath reflection.

This is the second in a three part series of personal reflections as I prepare to leave my role of spiritual leadership at the pastoral charge - my audio goodbye card. Last week, I wove together some of my favourite scriptures with selected music we have been recording this last year. And today, we are going to look at some of the basic theologies within our faith, again, through my own personal experience with them. Theology is just a fancy word for the study of God. And the word God – theo - is just a place holder for something grand and astonishing and stunning, a creativity beyond us. And I have always found the best way to study– ology meaning study of - is to have conversations. So, theology is then, a conversation with that which we do not know, but would like to be acquainted with in a more intimate way. And just as being acquainted with a moose or a great oak tree is not really possible, still the drawing close to them offers us an experience, a conversation of sorts. And I think that is the way with theology, we draw close to certain understandings in our tradition, and we have conversations with them, as we experience them in our lives. This is how we learn at a deeper level than the mere collecting of facts.

Welcome to the season of Christmastide, and to this, the first of a final thee part podcast series. I have been thinking what might be interesting to share with you before I leave, and I hope I have come up with something you will find interesting. This first podcast is a collection of my favourite scriptures, ones that are foundational to my own spiritual journey, and will have undergirded all that I have taught you. The second podcast is a reflective look at the key theological matters of import in our faith today. And the final podcast is about what you have taught me personally as a minister, and my thoughts on the future of the church.I hope that you find this collection of scriptures and music offers you some reflective, quiet time, as we say goodbye to one another over the next two weeks. Every blessing for your Christmastide journey.

Christmas Eve in our Christian calendar marks the end of the Advent season, a time of reflection and contemplation, and heralds in the season of Christmastide, twelve days when we celebrate the symbolic birth of Jesus the Christ, around whose way of love, we gather. And we have just passed through the Winter solstice, the longest night in the year where we live, and a very real reminder of the astonishing complexity of this blue orb we are privileged to call home. So, here is our Sabbath Story, our mystical Lukean telling in scripture and song. It is the story of a couple who slipped through the heavy net of imperial conquest to offer us a view of God as subversive, hidden, surprising, right here in our midst in a way we could not imagine. It is a story of choosing love in the midst of adversity. And that courageous choice, then, and now, always heralds the singing of angels and a joyfulness that echoes through time.

Last week, we gathered around The Magnificat, Luke's canticle he ascribed to his heroine Mary. And today, we read the scripture that actually came before this, the scripture that is commonly called The Annunciation. This is the well-known text where the angel Gabriel arrives to talk to Mary about the child she will bear, and call, Jesus. Luke's telling of this tale is a sweet exchange, offering us a picture of Mary as a contemplative young woman, thoughtful and careful in her responses, with a lively curiosity, and a deep faith. “Nothing is impossible with God,” Gabriel declares. To which Mary responds, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord. Let it be according to your word.” May we all desire such steadiness of gaze and humility, and thus open ourselves up to the astonishing life that lies before us.

Joy is a central theme of the Christmas season. And during Lent, as we anticipate this celebration, we consider where exactly joy comes from, where it resides, why and how we may, or may not, have it. It might help to remember that though at the centre of the story of Jesus' birth there are singing angels and adoring animals, there are also frightened shepherds, nasty potentates hailing from Herod's court, slaying soldiers, and fear, anxiety and uncertainty in abundance.But at the heart of the story, is Mary and it is to her we turn this week for instruction on how to claim joyfulness when, according to the facts about you, matters are looking grim. We will discover that joyfulness is not happiness, though it may coincide with that emotion. Joy is something that resides within us to which we can turn. It is both a divine gift and a divine right, and it lives independent of our outer circumstances. May we follow Mary's lead and let joy rule in our hearts and homes as we reflect on the graces we have been given.

This is the first Sunday of Advent, the four weeks of reflection that proceed the season of Christmastime. And throughout this season of contemplation, we will be looking through the lens of the mystic tradition that sees the sacred in all things, God in all matters. You will have heard it said, that to sing is to pray twice. And as we love to sing in this season, we will let the sacred texts of our seasonal music be our scriptures these next weeks. Yes, I know we love to sing together, and that is not possible in the usual way. But I have posted for you along with this podcast, a lyric sheet. So, you can print it or read it on your technical devices and sing along with Bruce and me.So welcome to the season of Advent, with its beautiful hymns and endless possibilities. As the days grow darker in December, we need some light. And the Advent hymns will provide that for us, drawing us to a place of reflection. In our hymn today, we have clear instruction on how to find hope, peace, joy and love in our season of uncertainty, and right in the middle of our daily life.

Today is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday in the liturgical Christian calendar. This particular designation is relatively new, being instituted originally in 1925 with the hopes of refocusing the church on the kingship of the one upon whom our faith is based.In the year 2020, what is the significance of Christ the King Sunday? What does Christ being a king mean to us today, In the midst of the ever-worsening pandemic, in the midst of on-going political disruptions?The King of Love our Shepherd is, wrote Henry Williams Baker back in 1868. True 2000 years ago, true today. Love. We shall celebrate the spirit of Christ being the spirit of love. We shall celebrate our desire to be people of The Way, the original title given to the early Christians. And the way, was the way of love. So today, on Christ the King Sunday, we take our leader down from any pedestal we may have placed him on in our doctrinal fisticuffs with other faiths and invite him to our table in a simple celebration of communion. And we sing very personal love songs, because we chose him as our teacher and our model of how to be in this world. The King of love our shepherd is.

Our podcast today gathers together an eclectic group of social activists that have followed Goethe's imperative: “Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it.” And they have begun where they were, with what they had to work with, boldly, prophetically, using the talents they were given to offer them up as gift to the world. And God and all the universe showed up to guide them and support them on their way. We welcome today, the prophet Isaiah, Jesus with his story of the distribution of the talents, German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Iona Community in Scotland, the Fresh Start Initiative at Kingsway Lambton United Church in Toronto , Lucille Bridges and her daughter Ruby who worked to desegregate American schools, Norman Rockwell who offered his talent to the civil rights movement, Vice President elect of the United States Kamala Harris, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono who brought us the visionary word picture song, Imagine. Each took their talent, small or large, and used it too bring peace and healing into this world. We are called to do the same.

November 1st is the middle child in what is collectively called ‘Allhallowtide' – a triduum, three days of commemoration that includes All Hallows Eve – which has been shortened in our modern English to Halloween, all Saints Day, November 1, and All Souls Day, November 2nd. So, though we tend to think of October 31st as a blitz of candy and costumes, it is actually, originally, a Christian holiday and part of our feast calendar.So, if you ate too much candy last night, or were revelling in some other way, lovely and good, hope you enjoyed yourself. Now we gather on all saints day to remember all those who brought us safely to this moment of breath, all those who continue to uplift us, to gather us, to care for and love us, and to see within our precious selves that we are saintly also - not by what we do or do not. But by the very nature of being human, and thus connected to the divine spark, the heartbeat of humanity, to the source of all life and love.

November 1st is the middle child in what is collectively called ‘Allhallowtide' – a triduum, three days of commemoration that includes All Hallows Eve – which has been shortened in our modern English to Halloween, all Saints Day, November 1, and All Souls Day, November 2nd. So, though we tend to think of October 31st as a blitz of candy and costumes, it is actually, originally, a Christian holiday and part of our feast calendar.So, if you ate too much candy last night, or were revelling in some other way, lovely and good, hope you enjoyed yourself. Now we gather on all saints day to remember all those who brought us safely to this moment of breath, all those who continue to uplift us, to gather us, to care for and love us, and to see within our precious selves that we are saintly also - not by what we do or do not. But by the very nature of being human, and thus connected to the divine spark, the heartbeat of humanity, to the source of all life and love.

I am not unaware of the rising tensions in our world at large, or the rising tensions in the political arena, or the rightful protesting for a more equitable world on the streets. I am not unaware of the tensions that may be rising in your own homes, within your families. I am not unaware of the uncertainty before us, or the uneasiness that is settling often into our hearts. I am not unaware of these things because they too are part of my life.Which is why I am more and more grateful for the wisdom of a Sabbath practice, a day or time when we lay aside the harness of our lives that drives us to control and manipulate this world, to draw profit from it, to change it, to alter the course of time, to concern ourselves with its direction. We must be aware of what is going on in the world, certainly. But we must take a break from the relentless press of it as well. And that is Sabbath. And that is what Bruce and I wish to offer to you each week. A quiet time to reflect on the larger reality that sees love as the founding and endless core of the universe, its healing balm, and its grounding principle – to be refreshed with, and reminded of, the compassion that ever flows towards us, if only we will let it wash over us, and make us whole.Sabbath is an atmosphere of rest, peace between all things, and healing. May you enter it now.

Our Thanksgiving podcast includes the Apostle Paul's affectionate letter to the folk in the newly formed church of Philippi urging them to be joyful in all circumstances. Paul is writing the letter from his jail cell – an important piece of information. In a jail cell there are few distractions and time to really consider matters. Think of the famous, thoughtful writings that have come from Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, Dietrich Bonhoeffer among others. They had time in jail to distill their thinking, to take time to consider – as possible death awaited them – what was most important to tell people about.Paul is in this same position. And he chooses to tell people about joy - even though they themselves are a small group of outsiders trying to live a different way than those around them. Paul's message two thousand years ago is just as relevant today. Seek joyfulness, no matter what your circumstances. Let's do that this Thanksgiving Season. Seek Joy. Won't everyone be surprised?

This week we continue on into the season of creation, learning from St. Francis of Assissi, a saint in the Catholic tradition, and by an odd coincidence, we are also touching on Saint Bernadette of Lourdes, and the many layers of fascinating story around the song written in her name. Jesus brings us also the parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard as we consider the way of the human mind when it allows itself to be separated from God, the divine mind.Sabbath, you will remember, is an atmosphere which we enter voluntarily that we may rest from the weary press of the world, let go of the will to shift and change the world, and concentrate instead, on the shifting and changing of our internal landscape – we concern ourselves on the Sabbath, with our soul. And as we consider our own soul, so we aid and uplift the collective soul of the world.So, in the Sabbath tradition, I ask you to leave behind for the moment the troubles of the world – and I do know they are many. The sheer velocity and force of the world can tire us. So, here we have a quiet place to rest ourselves, and be refreshed. I do so hope and pray, that our time together offers you some healing from the week's bruising. Make me tender again, has been the prayer of many. It is my prayer this week, and my prayer for you, that yes, even in the midst of the roughness of this world, our request to God, is be make us tender hearted, sweet to ourselves and the world, ever ready to reach out with compassion to whoever calls to us.

Here is a dabbling of gathered treasures to enrich your life this very day – some beautiful music from visiting musicians and composers, reflections on the wonder and power of nature, and narrative and musical scripture readings exposing a faith that is pliable, alive, and full of questions that we may live out the answers, not claim ownership of them.Deep Breaths. One of you this week, having experienced a great disappointment, quoted back to me, the wonderful words of Julian of Norwich, the words that were the theme of her shewings as she called them, or visions, as we might call them. An anchoress living an isolated life in the midst of the black plague in England, she experiences Jesus saying to her, “And all will be well, and all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.” And so, it shall.

Peace be with you this beautiful September week, with the frost creeping into our gardens, and the trees beginning to show off their beautiful fall colours.And this week, along with the last of the podcasts being repeated from the high holidays of Easter week, we are gathering for the first time in Primrose United Church, following all the proper social distancing protocols of course. We will be meeting at 10 am, and if you would like to come to the service, you will find details on our website at shelburneprimrose.com.Our podcast today, is the podcast that aired last Easter morning, full of music and beautiful readings, and a simple message: Love is the conduit for the miraculous. It was true last Easter, and it is true this September as well.So, we wish our Jewish friends Shanah Tova, and all manner of blessings on their new year ponderings and gatherings, such as they will be in our continued time of the on-going pandemic. And we commit also, in solidarity with all people, to look around at the bounty of gifts that are given to us daily, without our asking, without our contribution, gifts from nature which we receive in gratitude.May we see in the beauty of autumn, the mercy of God and the endless generosity of the natural world.

Today we have a quiet, reflective time as we listen again to the Holy Saturday Vigil Podcast. And we have as our guide, Macrina Wiederkehr's wonderful book Seven Sacred Pauses, Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, as our guide. We studied this book last year as a group. It is readily available digitally and in print. I would encourage anyone who wishes to bring calm to their lives to acquire a copy.Last week, I quoted Simone Weil saying, “Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” And so it is. To sit quietly and pay attention to anything at all – a teapot, a child, a tree, a podcast, a basketball game – it matters not. To quiet yourself and simply pay attention, is a great act of generosity and devotion.I am hoping that this vigil gathering, which consists of both teaching and praxis of the spiritual discipline of holding vigil, will have a kind of intimacy and communication allowing us to all draw together in sacred space through the simple act of paying attention.Be blessed this week. You are already a blessing to many others.

Here is Part Two of our Good Friday Podcast from last April. It is a personal reflection in music and story of what I think it means to stand at the foot of the cross today, to embrace the mystics life, and that in its simplest form, is to embrace the sacred in all people and all matter. And this, of course, is open to all people, regardless of formal religious inclinations, or lack thereof.Still, there is, on this Good Friday, an opportunity to contemplate the unique mystic tradition within the Christian faith. For standing at the foot of the cross has a particular meaning within our faith story, though the principles within it are universal.We are, all of us, living through uncertain times. But I am hoping that during this time your spirit will calm, and there will be time to consider the larger matters. We don't often do that in our hurly burly lives. But here now, is an opportunity.May the music and thoughts here offered grant you a time of rest and reflection.

We are revisiting the five special services that were created last April for holy week. Perhaps hearing the passion story outside Easter week, in the midst of a lazy summer morning, or in the quiet evening as the rain falls, you will hear it differently. I am hoping so.And just to put it in context, we have the current situation in the NBA as the players take a strong stand against racial injustice. And other sports teams follow their lead.Now, anyone who knows me will know I am hopelessly ill-informed when it comes to professional sports of any kind. But even I know, without knowing much, that professional sports players have a lot of clout these day, and when they make a collective statement about anything, everyone listens.And they have made an unprecedented move that everyone is talking about because it is about an issue that should be front and centre of all our thinking these days and that is the depth and extent of our collective and individual racial prejudices. You can read more about this, and our on going response around ‘black lives matter' on our website in the from the minister section.But I want to note it here, because we think that what happened 2000 years ago does not matter now.That is incorrect.We can learn from the stories of our faith about what happened then, so we can better negotiate what to do now.So, in the re-listening of our foundational story, I want you to listen for three things: three things you might consider and watch for in the story. Jesus' steadiness. The crowd's seeming power. And our required stand against the power of empire.

It has been said that those who follow in the footsteps of Jesus are Easter People, though I would contend that you need not be a Christian to be an Easter Person. An Easter person is someone who understands in a profound way that suffering and death, sorrow and pain, are never the final story. To be an Easter person is to understand that the end of the road is the beginning of a new journey. It is to understand than in the bleakest of forecasts there are unseen possibilities. It is to understand that in the darkest evil there still shines the possibility of divine light.The particulars of the Easter story may be familiar. But I would ask you to listen again as though you have never heard it before. In fact, listening is the theme of today's podcast. It tells the story of the Palm Sunday parade, a time when some people listened and heard the quiet heartbeat of a single man on a donkey over the louder noise of the Roman war drums.Listen, then, and listen well. And you too may hear that single heartbeat that beats in tandem with the heartbeat of the world. Listen for the quiet rustle of the palm leaves, listen to the ones who live in your home. Listen to those who live in your heart.The world is in need of Easter people to see past what is, to what might yet be.

Jesus had startling news for his generation. The kingdom of God is already here, he declared. It is not coming soon, it is right here, right now.That was a big idea to absorb, because you will remember that the Roman Empire ruled the roost back then and they kept the Hebrew nation under their heavy boot, demanding allegiance, obedience and taxes. No wonder the writer of Psalm 42 wrote, “All day long the people jeer and ask, where is your God now?”. Where indeed was God with economic disparities widening, violence increasing and seemingly no peace anywhere but Pax Romano, which was in fact no peace at all, only oppression.All these years later, Jesus' claim still stands: the kingdom of God is right here, right here in your midst.Where oh where is this kingdom of God that Jesus is talking about?The problem now, is the same as the problem then.The people now, and people then, are, and were, looking for divine intervention.And Jesus is pointing out that there is only divine collaboration.The kingdom of God is not brought about by divine intervention.The kingdom of God is brought about by participatory collaboration.So very glad that you have come to participate.Every blessing for the journey.

The kingdom of God can be explored in all forms of art, as artists in one way or another, are interpreting it, or the lack of it, for us.or the lack of it, for us.And today we have some wonderful interpreters to join us – Helen and Leslie from Alissa's meditation class, Anne from Green Gables and her viewing of the residential schools in PEI, Emily Carr, painter and adventurer who gave us perhaps her most famous painting The Indian Church (renamed Church at Yuquot Village by the Art Gallery of Ontario) and Pablo Picasso who brought the world a depiction of war in his painting Guernica after the destruction of the Spanish town for which the painting was named.Our faith is an experiential faith, a lived-out faith, a practiced faith. And the kingdom of god is brought into being by none other than us. God has already created it, offered it to us, all its principles are in place, all of nature declares its wisdom and offers itself as inspiration. Our job is to open our eyes and see where it exists and then do our part to usher it along.The kingdom of god, the kingdom of heaven is already, and not yet.

As we continue our stroll through the parables of Jesus, we look at the story of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35) and our theme of embodied spirituality. In the Christian faith we cluster around a person – Jesus of Nazareth – rather than a book, or a set of laws, or a particular practice. Personhood, people, are important in our faith, for it is here we see the divine and the human working together.With this in mind, we consider how we choose movies to watch and books to read, the community of Taizé in France that lives out their embodied spirituality of welcome and love, the reason that French mystic Simone Weil did not join the church though she had profound understandings of Jesus' presence, the delightful ways in which Anne of Green Gables prays at bedtime, and Naomi Shibab Nye's wonderful poem, Kindness.And hopefully we come to have a deeper understanding of the nature of the kingdom of heaven, which is all around us - if only we will get out of the way and stop blocking it at every turn, as did the unforgiving servant in our parable. The endlessly spirit of generosity that is the kingdom of God/Heaven already exists. Our job is not to bring it about, but to allow it to flourish - in ourselves and in this world.

Our parables today will remind us that though we may be the sower of seeds, and we are also the soil that receives the seeds, it is not we who are in charge of the way things go. We are only in charge of our own personal behavior and response. Perhaps a little more leaning on the everlasting arms would do us all good.Two men who died recently on the same day, C.T. Vivian and John Lewis, were two that leaned upon the everlasting arms in their private lives, and gave generously of themselves to the public. They have much to teach us about what it means to be a person of faith. And they, along with Dag Hammarskjold, Paul the Apostle, and Jesus are our rabbis in today's podcast.

We have three different short little parables to look at today, all concerned with seed and its sowing. They are simple parables, deceptively simple, for within them are deep truths we are asked to absorb. And sometimes, those very simple truths can be very challenging. We would rather go to more complicated scriptures. Ah, Jesus, he lays things out so simply so we can use our simple minds to try and understand very big ideas about the nature of the kingdom of God. And the kingdom of God is what we are a part of bringing into existence with many others, inside our faith and outside it. But we have to do our part. And our part includes learning from Jesus the essential elements of that very real kingdom.

Imagine what it must be like for the great spirit to have put together all the miracles of this universe, every intricate creature, every storm, every tree, every breath, every musical note. And what joy there must have been in this work, what creativity, what artistry, what immense energy. You can see this any way you wish, through the lens of science or philosophy or evolution, it does not matter. The point is this world and all that is in it in its original form was not created by us. All the raw materials that we use to make what we make and do what we do, and think ourselves so clever, were not our original design. And here we are all invited to work alongside the spirit of the creator to do marvelous things, to dream a wonderful vision. And then, the divine spirit must watch as person by person by person we turn away to do what we want to do. Sometimes the sorrow of the divine spirit, seems so great, one would wonder how it continues on….so disappointed, so let down. God needs us to come and participate in creation, is desirous our company, invites us to be co-creators, to be co celebrants, to join in the feast, to be companions in The Great Work. Do you not feel sometimes somewhat sorrowful at all the times you have told God you were busy? I do.

To help us all with the challenges we have been going through, and the uncertainty that surrounds us, it may be helpful to bring our thinking back to Jesus's foundational teaching by exploring a collection of his most memorable parables. You may remember these stories from your youth. Or you may have heard them referenced in common culture. Either way, you will know they have a child like quality to them that seems to reflect the lightness of summer. But don't be fooled into thinking they are easy teachings, for embedded within them are the foundational tools for building the kingdom of heaven here on earth. And that's what we are about, is it not? Building the kingdom of heaven here on earth.As Jesus knew well, we like stories, and we learn well from narrative. So, I hope you enjoy our little wander through the parables this summer. But remember, too, to spend time resting as much as you are able, being outside when you can, or near a window, somewhere you can observe the magnificence of this world that has been gifted to you – leaf by leaf, blade of grass by blade of grass, bird by bird – each a miracle in their own right, as are you. We begin the summer series with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector.

Today, we consider the simple practice of awareness, which has the power to initiate transformation. We cannot shift how we live if we are not aware of how we live. We are living through a time that is demanding that we shift and change our worldview - how we perceive ourselves, how we perceive others, what the very nature of being human is all about. In our Christian tradition, this is part of our sacrament of communion: awareness. When Jesus gathered his disciples for dinner before his trial and arrest, he asked them to remember him in their daily lives. He was asking them to stay awake, to be aware, to look around and see if things could be done differently. He was asking them to work towards the arrival of the kingdom of God, not in some far away place, but in the here and now. So, gather up a drink and something to eat as your own elements of communion and if you wish you can follow along in the order of service provided below.Our podcast today covers Jeff Gibb's controversial film 'Planet of the Humans', the new normal - as proposed by the Latin American Council for Peace and Research, The Examin - the prayer of awareness, and the work and thought of Gregory Baum, the Canadian theologian and author of the Massey Lectures, Compassion and Solidarity, the Church for Others.

It is time to deeply absorb the knowledge that we are all fearfully and wonderful made. Everyone. Not just some people. And in coming to understand this, we will know that we must treat all people as sacred, as we do ourselves. “To sin is to refuse to love, to reject communion and fellowship for in humanity, each person, is the living temple of God, we meet God in our encounter with others,” wrote Gustavo Gutierrez, one of the founders of liberation theology. The time has come for us to embrace this truth and live our lives from it. To truly absorb this understanding of our very nature, will result in a great shift in human consciousness.Momentous changes in the course of human evolution – which have been with us all along – are all very well to read about in history or science books or in our case, the Bible, but quite another to live through day by day. So, here is a collection of thoughts from various spiritual thinkers and dreamers that remind us that though the movements of change that need to take place are enormous, our part in them is small, consistent, and though not always easy, doable for everyone. We spend time with St. Therese of Liseau, Blaise Pascal, Boarding Homes Ministries, and have a brief look at liberation and feminist theology. It is a rich little podcast this morning, with reflective music for contemplation. Every blessing for the journey.

Humanity is rising and resisting the old story of separation, and embracing the new story of the collective, the desire to include everyone, because everyone is part of the divine family and there are no exceptions, and certainly no hierarchical form of governance based on something so seemingly random as the colour of one's skin. But we are a long way off from realizing this dream, and there is much work to be done to break down old thinking, old prejudices, old fears, binary ways of being that like to divide and conquer.Christianity itself is deeply compromised by racism, white washing a Mediterranean Jewish man into an Italian/Swedish composite that removed his naturally dark skin to present something somehow deemed more appealing. We have prostituted our faith in such deep and irretrievable ways, it is no wonder that Christendom has collapsed upon itself, and we are weakened. But to be humbled is the beginning of renewal.So, let us be humbled. Let us be quieted, let us be still, and let us leave behind all that Christendom claimed as truth and retreat to that singular figure who represented all that we have come to disregard. Let us return to the bosom of our faith, which is neither doctrine nor tradition nor history nor memory but to the one with whom it all began.

Uncertainty is often seen as challenging, and certainly it is not an easy place to reside. But when there is a disruption in our usual routines, the assumptions upon which all our thinking and activities are based, is laid bare. Those assumptions are the hidden under pinnings of our worldview and guide us in the choosing of partners, the way we vote, spend our money, raise our families, and die. All the activities of our lives are based on what we assume to be true and what we hold valuable.In times of uncertainty, when we don't know all the answers – and we can't know them anyway – it gives us a chance, as German writer and critical thinker Rainer Maria Rilke would instruct, to ‘live into the questions.' And I suppose that is what we are trying to do when we gather together in Sabbath time, to explore the world of thought and spirituality as we live the questions. Hoping that you find here, in our podcast, or extra resources, that which helps you explore your deepest questions.

It is good to be reminded that everyone we encounter is fighting a great battle, something we can't see and can't understand. Somehow knowing that, gives us courage for our internal battle – to be good, to find our best selves, to see that everything and everyone does not bear the mark of commercial branding, but of its creator, which is a mystery we cannot unravel. And so, it follows that if everyone is fighting a great battle, they require our respect and our compassion as an accompaniment for their journey. And given that this is Mother's Day weekend, I would like us to consider applying this thought exercise to the person or persons who have offered the great gift of nurture to us, as we reflect on a grounding principle of practicing compassion: we are not privileged with knowing the motives behind other people's actions. That privilege belongs to god alone.

Our podcast this week focuses on sharing, though not what one would think of as the ordinary kind. Rather it explores the larger landscape of sharing as we connect with others at a deep level, where a shift of worldview is required.

We are called to stand steady and be amazed at all that we do not know, all that we cannot control, all that may yet unfold. Amazement is such a welcome place to rest. You can bake bread and be amazed to see how the yeast rises. You can watch someone you have known a very long-time sleep and wonder at their existence. You can watch the snowstorm and be amazed at its beauty, no matter the date on the calendar. You can read about people who have died who you never knew, and be amazed at your own connection to them, and the tears they draw from you that you did not know you possessed.We are in a time of waiting. But there is waiting in terror and there is waiting in amazement.Choose amazement. Choose to align yourself with divine though, which is your noblest self. Choose to stand and be amazed.

The invisible workings of the spiritual world create the world we see. Do not ever be fooled into thinking otherwise. It was Jesus' great strength - and it is the strength of all spiritual leaders as well - that he never for one moment believed that what he saw with his eyes contained the wholeness of things. This Sunday morning I will explore a bit of that thought through the eyes of Mary, Jesus' mother, who stood at the foot of the cross while her son suffered and died, through the eyes of Mary McCartney, the mother of Paul McCartney, who died early, but left behind a strong impression on her son, allowing him to chase after his dreams and realize them, and through the gifts of insight given to the 15th century anchoress Julian of Norwich as she recorded them in her written work, Revelations of Divine Love.

It is a strange Easter not to be gathering together, hugging one another as we pass the peace, singing joyfully together as we end the long contemplative season of Lent. But we gather together in spirit, and in listening to this podcast, full of hope filled scriptures, beautiful music, teachings from the work of Brother David Steindl-Rast and Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie. No matter the state of the world, all is measured by the state of our hearts. Let your be filled with joy this day. For Sabbath is a time of harmonious atmosphere where everything and everyone is a delight. And this is particularly true on the Sabbath morning of Easter. May love and grace abide.

Throughout the Lenten season at the Shelburne Primrose Pastoral Charge, we have been working our way through Macrina Wiederkehr's wonderful book Seven Sacred Pauses, Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day. The keeping of the hours is an ancient practice in the Christian faith, but all faiths have ways of breaking down the day into set time periods so as to be reminded to stop and consider larger matters, to rest briefly, to pray, to walk, to consider, to remember. This podcast includes readings of Macrina's teaching and prayers, as well as a time to practice vigil on an Easter weekend when the world itself is in a kind of vigil like suspension. Bruce's music will offer you place for soulful reflection. The podcast is just under 30 minutes. A lot can happen in 30 minutes of devotion.

There isn't usually a line up for a Good Friday Service. Everyone wants to come to the party on Easter morning. Not so much the bloody mess that is Good Friday. And, well, the name is problematic. Still, it is a story that needs telling once a year, if not more often, because we keep repeating the same stupidness over and over, crucifixion after crucifixion. Perhaps in this great pause that we are currently experiencing, we will hear something new in an old tale. Part 1 is a traditional service - well as traditional as we can manage, anyway - consisting of a complete read through of the passion story from the Book of John. Part 2 is a contemporary service is a personal journey with Bruce's and my art and music. We ponder what it means to ‘stand at the foot of the cross' as we interact with those around us. Every blessing during this strange time, with our sobering yet illuminating story. Please feel free to download and use in any way that will guide us forward a more peaceful world.

There isn't usually a line up for a Good Friday Service. Everyone wants to come to the party on Easter morning. Not so much the bloody mess that is Good Friday. And, well, the name is problematic. Still, it is a story that needs telling once a year, if not more often, because we keep repeating the same stupidness over and over, crucifixion after crucifixion. Perhaps in this great pause that we are currently experiencing, we will hear something new in an old tale.Offered above is a traditional service - well as traditional as we can manage, anyway - consisting of a complete read through of the passion story from the Book of John. The contemporary service is a personal journey with Bruce's and my art and music. We ponder what it means to ‘stand at the foot of the cross' as we interact with those around us.Every blessing during this strange time, with our sobering yet illuminating story. Please feel free to download and use in any way that will guide us forward a more peaceful world.

Palm Sunday is forever in my consciousness associated with floppy construction paper palm leaves, leaving the scriptural story caught in a kind of never never land of childish thought. But these days that will not do. So, here's what I hope is a fresh interpretation of the palm parade for those willing to listen with their hearts. Communion will be served to all those willing to be fully present.

Our first Sunday Morning podcast from the Shelburne Primrose Pastoral Charge in Ontario. You are so welcome to download it for what every purpose would make the world a more delightful place. As well, we offer the four pieces of original music within the podcast to be downloaded and used for any podcasts/services/ministries/initiatives that you may be doing. Visit the episode page to download. May grace, even in the midst of challenge, be the gift we continue to give and receive.