Ministry

Beryl's Blog: A "Christian" Insurrection

Emma Green is a staff writer at ​The Atlantic, where she covers politics, policy, and religion. She wrote the following in an article published on January 8th :

A Christian Insurrection

Many of those who mobbed the Capitol on Wednesday claimed to be enacting God’s will

The name of God was everywhere during Wednesday’s insurrection against the American government. The mob carried signs and flag declaring Jesus saves! and God, Guns & Guts Made America, Let’s Keep All Three.

Some were participants in the Jericho March, a gathering of Christians to “pray, march, fast, and rally for election integrity.” After calling on God to “save the republic” during rallies at state capitols and in D.C. over the past two months, the marchers returned to Washington with flourish.

On the National Mall, one man waved the flag of Israel above a sign, begging passersby to Say Yes to Jesus. “Shout if you love Jesus!” someone yelled, and the crowd cheered. “Shout if you love Trump!” The crowd cheered louder.

The group’s name is drawn from the biblical story of Jericho, “a city of false gods and corruption,” the march’s website says. Just as God instructed Joshua to march around Jericho seven times with priests blowing trumpets, Christians gathered in D.C., blowing shofars, the ram’s horn typically used in Jewish worship, to banish the “darkness of election fraud” and ensure that “the walls of corruption crumble.”

This is not the Christianity we follow.  We follow the words of a man, (himself a protestor) who stood for loving God and loving others.

His ministry is evidenced in words such as Generosity, Courage, Love, Forgiveness, Hope, Respect, Truth, Healing, Peace, Reconciliation, just to name a few.

Those were not words which rang out in Washington on January 6, 202l.  Let us not forget that as we, as followers of Jesus, live into 2021 in His ways, not their ways!

May God bless us all as we face so many new and frightening challenges both globally and here at home.

Pastor Beryl

Beryl's Blog: Advent 4 - Love

As Christmas approaches, I am reminded of the words of Christine Sine*, written in 2018.

“We think of Advent as a time of us waiting for the birth of Christ, yet in some ways it is just as much a time of Christ waiting for us – waiting for us to notice him, to take time to acknowledge him and to more than anything, waiting for us to allow his light to shine through us.”

She went on to write the following poem which touches me as much today as it did when I first read it.  I hope that it will touch you too!

Advent 4.png

*Christine Sine is the founder and facilitator for Godspace, which grew out of her passion for creative spirituality, gardening and sustainability. She describes herself as a contemplative activist, passionate gardener, author, and liturgist.

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SouthWest Remembrance Day Service 2020

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Here is a link to our Remembrance Day service filmed live this morning, November 8, 2020. Many thanks to our visitors from Verdun Legion #4: Stan Kirkoff, President, and Anthony J. Bruce, Sergeant at Arms, as well as our own Douglas Hastie, for the laying of the wreaths.

The Gathering hymn is VU 682, O Day of Peace, and is sung to the tune of Jerusalem by C. Hubert H. Parry.

O day of peace that dimly shines
through all our hopes and prayers and dreams,
guide us to justice, truth and love,
delivered from our selfish schemes.
May swords of hate fall from our hands,
our hearts from envy find release
till by God’s grace our warring world
shall see Christ’s promised reign of peace.

Then shall the wolf dwell with the lamb,
nor shall the fierce devour the small,
as beasts and cattle calmly graze,
a little child shall lead them all.
Then enemies shall learn to love,
all creatures find their true accord,
the hope of peace shall be fulfilled,
for all the earth shall know the Lord.

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