Ministry

Beryl's Blog: Sky Sunday

This week we continue in our Seasons of Creation Series with Sky Sunday.

Along with the sun, the moon and the stars, we also acknowledge clouds.  There are many biblical references to clouds, especially in the book of Exodus:

Exodus 19:9 NRSV
Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after.”

Exodus 24:15-18 NIV

Then Moses went up on the mountain, and the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord dwelt on Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days. And on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. Now the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel. Moses entered the cloud and went up on the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

For many of us, clouds are dreamlike. They move around swiftly and quickly. They are secret and have something to hide from us. When you dream, it's almost always not clear what you dream about, as it is shrouded in clouds.

As I thought about clouds this week, I was drawn back to 1969 and a song written by Joni Mitchell entitled Both Sides, Now.  I am sharing some of the words with you now in the hope they will bring back some wonderful childhood memories of laying in the grass and watching the fleeting dinosaurs, fish, dogs, elephants and cats fly by in the sky. 

Rows and flows of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
Looked at clouds that way

 But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I would have done
But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down and still somehow
It's cloud illusions I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way that you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way……

It's life's illusions that I recall
I really don't know life
I really don't know life at all 

Fall is upon us and the clouds themselves have changed shape. Gone are the “mares’ tails” of summer. But it is still a wonderful experience to keep watch and let your imagination run wild and free.

 I hope you can join us for worship this Sky Sunday.  If not, remember that the sky, and all that is contained within, is that life-giving blanket which wraps around the earth and reminds us of God’s steadfast presence and unconditional love.

 In peace,

Pastor Beryl DLM

Beryl's Blog: Season of Creation

(“Earth, that fragile piece of stardust we call home, that unique planet where life exists in all its diverse splendor, that amazing floating rock whose mysteries we have only begun to discover”)  from Seasons of the Sprit, 2015

 
September 5th is Planet Earth Sunday, that time in our Season of Creation series where we are invited to see ourselves as an inherent part of the created world.

We are not separate from it, masters of it or, on the other hand, beholden to it.

Rather, like the plants and rocks and birds and cattle, the fish and turtles and crawling things, we are a part of it. This planet earth is our home, the only one we have.

The Season of Creation sets us on a path of rediscovery of our God-filled world and our place it.  It invites us into worship and faith, and guides us to living with respect in creation for the sake of all God’s creatures.

Within each created being is the DNA of the Creator, the stardust of the cosmos.  We are all related through this great creation, we are brothers and sisters with all that is.

In 2015, Pope Frances offered a prayer for our earth which I would share with you:

All-powerful God, you are present in the
whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love,
that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live
as brothers and sisters, harming no one.
O God of the poor,
help us to rescue the abandoned and
forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it,
that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain
at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation,
to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature
as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day.
Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle
for justice, love and peace.

Pope Francis, Laudato Si 


If you are able, join us for worship on this first week in the Season of Creation where we will pray:

Through your word and your design, O God, you call us to remember we are part of the abundance of your creation, from tiny molecules to divine light. Every being reflects your DNA and reminds us that you continue to create and delight in what you have made. With these gifts, move us from despair to hope; from taking things for granted to a place of deep reverence. Amen.

 

Pastor Beryl, DLM

 

 

 

 

Beryl's Blog: The Alpha and the Omega

Most of us are we are familiar with the Alpha and the Omega; “the beginning and the end” as the title for Jesus.  These words are used to designate the comprehensiveness of God, implying that God includes all that can be. They bring to mind life, death and eternal life with the one who created us.

August is winding down, hotter than usual, but winding down none the less.  As I daily fill the bird baths and refresh the garden to make sure the toads and other crawling creatures are not without moisture, I cannot help but notice that the flowers are beginning to seed, the tomatoes are ripe for picking and even the pumpkins will be ready soon enough.

Many of the birds have already left to begin yet another cycle of life -the robins, the red-winged blackbirds and even the geese are gathering in the farmers’ fields, the flock growing daily. I am blessed yet with a lone humming bird, fighting for a place to feed amongst the multitude of wasps which seem to appear in abundance in August.

As a Pastor now for more than 13 years, I am familiar with Omegas. I have lost count of the celebrations of life I have shared with families and friends, the different traditions in different cultural settings.

Death, unknown and yet to be experienced, is daunting for so many.  Fear and anxiety can overshadow the promise of eternal life, without pain and suffering, which is offered to us through Jesus.

Many years ago, I was given a poem about death.  It has sustained my belief in eternal life – perhaps not as we expect it to be, but life given and joyful nonetheless.

This Saturday we will celebrate a life, once again. As I make preparations for the service with the family, I read this poem once again for the peace it brings and share it now that you too might envision the beauty in the inevitable omega of all things:

 For what is it to die but to stand naked in the wind and to melt into the sun?
 And what is it to cease breathing, but to free the breath from its restless tides, that it may rise and expand and seek God unencumbered?

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountain top, then you shall begin to climb.
And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Kahlil Gibran, author of The Prophet, was born January 6, 1883, in Bsharri, Lebanon.


May the peace of Christ, which passes all understanding, be yours this day and always.

Pastor Beryl DLM

Beryl's Blog: Genesis

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 

These two verses from Genesis have made the snake one of the most dreaded and most harmed creatures of all God’s great creation.  Even in speaking, we often use words such as “a snake in the grass” to express our disgust.

Now, I don’t know how you feel about snakes.  I realize there are some very large and very deadly snakes in the world.  But here, around the Montreal area, if we are lucky enough to see one, they are usually of the harmless garter snake variety.  If we do come face to face, I choose to respect our mutual boundaries with a nodding acknowledgement as we go our separate ways.

But sometimes even the snake finds itself in trouble and, if it is possible to see any emotion at all in its cold black eyes, you realize that your paths have crossed serendipitously. 

As I closed the porch screened door this week, I was surprised to see what I thought was a piece of black and yellow cord, wedged in the track.  On closer examination I realized that it was a garter snake.  Perhaps because of the heat, s/he thought they had found a cool place to pass the day.  Unfortunately, having crawled into the hole in the track (which is usually there for drainage), it was truly stuck.  You see, the hole was small enough for the front end of the snake -- but not for the belly and tail end.

As the cats suddenly became interested in this new creature, I called for Koji to come quickly as I could not hold off the cats or close the door again, which could prove fatal.

On assessing the situation, Koji went to get his trusty chopsticks to try and pull the creature out.  But it was indeed stuck.  A quick discussion ensued and the only possible solution seemed to be olive oil.  Grease it up and try again!

Koji returned with the oil, sanitary latex gloves and a bucket (to put the unfortunate creature in should it be freed).  With calm determination, patience and a gentle hand, s/he came loose.  It was quicky placed in the bucket and rushed out into the garden.

Did it stop to say thank you?  No, or course not.  But it did slither away, as quickly as possible.  Hopefully it was not seriously harmed and lived to see another dawn.

I guess all of this is to say that each and everyday Creator presents us with opportunities to be our best selves, even to those who God once deemed to be culpable. The olive oil was a nice touch; a blessing of sorts.  In biblical times, prophets anointed priests and kings, and the sick were anointed with oil as part of the procedure of healing by faith and by the laying on of hands.

God speaks in situations we cannot imagine.  I say, again, thanks be to God!

Pastor Beryl

Beryl's Blog: Wisdom

This Sunday, we will be reflecting on 1 Kings 2: 10-12, 3:3-14 which happens to be King Solomon and Wisdom.

I am always amazed how those cosmic threads weave through our lives, randomly tying and binding things together.  As it turns out, our garage has been abuzz with the sound of a chain saw all week.  Having been forced to take down a dead elm tree, we were left with a great pile of logs.  We do our best to find ways to wisely use all of nature’s gifts in whatever creative way presents itself. So, owls have been appearing as rustic garden art.

Owls have long been thought to be a sign of great wisdom and femininity.  The owl was a symbol for Athena, goddess of wisdom and strategy, before the Greeks gave their pantheon human forms.  According to myth, an owl sat on Athena’s blind side, so that she could see the whole truth. 

In Ancient Greece, the owl was a symbol of a higher wisdom, and it was also a guardian of the Acropolis.  Diana, the Roman response to Athena, was strongly associated with the moon, and also the owl. 

In North America, the Pawnee and the Sioux saw the owl as a messenger to the first of all evil creatures.  On the other hand, the Lakota tribe had an “Owl Society,” where the warriors fought primarily at night and painted dark rings around their eyes because they believed that would allow them to have an owl’s acute vision.

Even our own Voices United has a wonderful hymn about wisdom; number 287, Wellspring of Wisdom.  I particularly love the first verse:

Wellspring of wisdom, hear our cry, the way ahead is parched and dry.
We seek a source to satisfy our thirst for sanctifying waters,
wisdom for your faith-filled sons and daughters.

As we continue to live out these times of uncertainty, I leave you with a prayer for wisdom and, hopefully, something to make you smile.

 Touch us, O Lord, and fill us with your light.  Give us strength when we are weak, love when we feel alone, courage when we are afraid, wisdom when we feel foolish, comfort when we are confused, hope when we feel rejected, and internal peace when we are faced with the folly around us. Amen.

A couple of Koji’s owls.

A couple of Koji’s owls.

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