Ministry

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A Thanksgiving Message

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Psalm 100:4-5
 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
    and his courts with praise;
    give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good and his love endures forever;
    his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Canadian Thanksgiving is upon us. This year it looks so different as we continue to struggle with Covid-19 restrictions and advisories. In my own 74 years, I cannot remember a Thanksgiving without family and friends around the table. This year, I cannot imagine the kitchen without the wonderful aroma of festive food.  I cannot imagine the dining room without decorations and hints of fall’s bounteous reds, oranges and yellows.

And, most of all, I cannot imagine SouthWest Sunday worship without evidence of the harvest’s blessings – beautifully displayed as a reminder of how good God is indeed.

Yes, this year has been challenging in so many ways.  We have lost loved ones and have been unable to say proper goodbyes, we have postponed weddings and baptisms and, perhaps most difficult of all, we have been unable to gather for worship and fellowship.

But, in spite of all of this, we continue to worship in spirit and faithfulness.  For those who have access to the internet and You Tube, Sunday worship has continued in some form or another.  And for that, I am thankful!

Katie Taylor, from World Vision Advocacy, said “One of the best things about thankfulness is that the more you choose it, the easier it gets. The more you profess gratitude, the more you notice things to be grateful for. The thankfulness muscles respond to exercise!”

With that thought in mind, I wish each and every one of you a blessed Thanksgiving.  May you find one thing in each day to be thankful for.  No matter how small or insignificant it may seem to you, praising God is at the heart of the Christian tradition and finding even one small blessing is a beacon of light in the darkest times.

Be well, and be with God.


Pastor Beryl

New Testament 101: Philemon

Philemon was a wealthy man who owned slaves and who used his large house for church meetings (2).  He probably lived in Colossae since Paul’s letter to the Colossians mentions Onesimus, a slave of Philemon, and Archippus (Colossians 4: 9, 17).

Paul is writing from jail on behalf of Onesimus, a runaway slave owned by Philemon. Onesimus had become a follower of the Lord and a valuable friend to Paul, and Paul is writing to encourage Philemon to accept Onesimus also as a friend and follower of the Lord.

This letter is an excellent example of the art of letter-writing in the Roman world and it is the most personal of all Paul’s letters.  The way the letter is written suggests that Paul and Philemon were close friends.

A Quick Look at this Letter

1. Greetings to Philemon (1:3)
2. Paul Speaks to Philemon about Onesimus (4-22)
3. Final Greetings and a Prayer (23-25)

Beryl

New Testament 101: Titus

Paul mentions Titus several times in his letters as someone who worked with him in Asia Minor and Greece (2 Corinthians 2: 13, 7:6, 13: 8, 16, 23: 12, 18, Galatians 2:3).

He is told by Paul to appoint church leaders in Crete. Paul instructs Titus to make sure that church leaders and officials have good reputations (1: 5-9) and that all of the Lord’s followers keep themselves pure and avoid arguments (1: 10-2:9).

Paul includes special instructions for the different groups within the church in Crete.  He reminds Titus that a new way of life is possible because of what God has done by sending Jesus Christ: God has saved them, washed them by the power of the Holy Spirit, and given them a fresh start and the hope of eternal life.

God our Savior showed us how good and kind he is.
He saved us because of his mercy, and not because
of any good things that we have done.
(3: 4-5)

A Quick Look at this Letter

1. Greetings and a Prayer for Titus (1: 1-4)
2. Instructions for Church Officials (1: 5-16)
3. Instructions for Church People (2: 1-3:11)
4. Personal Advice and Final Greetings (3: 12-15)

Beryl

 

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Pandemic taking a toll on pastors

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The following is by Laura Stephens Reed, who is a “Clergy and Congregational Coach”. She is writing from the US, but there is a lot of carry-over to our Canadian context.

The coming tidal wave of pastoral departures

There are many ways I could describe the past six months, but I’m going with “revealing.” The pandemic has clarified systemic issues related to a broken healthcare system, racial inequities, lack of leadership at almost every level (governmental and denominational), and inefficient infrastructure for responding to crises. Specifically, though, I am thinking about how all the shifts prompted by Covid-19 have uncovered how unsustainable ministry is for so many pastors in their current contexts.

Prior to the pandemic, a significant number of my clergy coachees and colleagues were working under unrealistic expectations, whether those came from their congregations or from their own internal “shoulds.” And then, mid-Lent, they had to change the ways they did nearly everything - and fast. They became not just preachers but tech experts with all that entails: recording, editing, sound mixing, lighting, inviting people to and teaching them how to participate in and managing online meetings, exploring the most accessible social media platforms, and monitoring cyber security. They spent many hours trying to get all of this right because worship and Bible study and fellowship are so critical, not knowing that they’d have to continue all that they started beyond a few weeks, often without much help from others. (Because, again, the shutdown was supposed to be temporary, so why ask for assistance from others dealing with their own altered realties?)

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