Ministry

Blog: Praying Through Lent in a Pandemic Season

This year, as part of my own Lenten Journey, I am following the writings of Dr. Elisabeth R. Jones, the Minister at Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire.  For each day of Lent 2021, during the time we were observing stricter Covid-19 rules, Dr. Elisabeth chose a daily reading, followed by a prayerful reflection.

This Lenten Season, 2022, restrictions are easing but reflection continues to be a part of our Lenten devotions.

Each Friday, I will share with you the reading Dr. Elisabeth chose and the prayer she offered for deeper consideration.

I sincerely hope you will enjoy them as much as I am.

Friday, Week One

“Driven in the wilderness…..with the wild beasts…..and the angels serve him.”  (Mark 1: 12-13)

We’re not that used to wilderness these days, not creation’s wilderness at least.

Wilderness these days is more evident in human behaviour.  Raw hatred, envy, greed, sexual predation, racial violence…..all these things are the beasts with which we must contend.  Thank God there are angels here too, often unrecognizable as such, but there, nevertheless, to “attend”, to “serve” us all while we do the wilderness work within ourselves first.  We can’t deal with those worldly beasts, until we deal with the ways they work their harm within us, can we?

Dr. Elisabeth offers the following prayer:

I see now why we are “driven” by the Spirit into the wilderness, Holy One,

where the wild beasts have names like Envy, Greed, Supremacism.

We would not willingly venture into encounter with these inner and outer beasts without your provocation and your protection.

So, we pray for the attendant angels to guard us while we do this wilderness work, for as long as it takes.

Amen

 

As you follow Dr. Elisabeth’s readings with me this year, I would stress that we too are called to dig into the places we would rather not, to see with open eyes the things which cause us pain and disbelief.  This is the journey through the deserts of our own lives.  It is not a journey for the faint of heart. It is a journey which requires faith and the courage to travel with others to a destination of which we are unsure. 

 

On this first Friday of Lent, I leave you with these words: “Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”  (Joshua 1: 19)

 

In peace

Pastor Beryl, DLM

Blog: Solidarity With Our Neighbours

With everything else contributing to the increase in frustration and disbelief with the “freedom” protest in our national capital and our continuing prayers for a peaceful ending to the whole situation, I welcomed the information which was shared by Doug Hastie this past Sunday.

Doug brought to my attention that various churches in the downtown Ottawa area have written a letter of solidarity for those living in and through the chaos. Yes, with all the attention focused on those with the loudest voices, we may have forgotten those who are the least heard.

It may seem that the “church” has been conspicuously silent of late, but there has been action taken by Anglican, United, Presbyterian, and Baptist denominations. I share hereunder the letter written by church brothers and sisters in Ottawa.

In Solidarity with our Neighbours:

As Christian Clergy in downtown Ottawa, we write in solidarity and care for residents, retailers, restaurant owners, and all who work in the city centre during the ongoing protests and occupation. We see and know the anxiety and distress that this causes, particularly to the most vulnerable among us.

Our faith tradition calls us to seek the welfare of the city in which we live. It pains us to see how the chaotic, unruly and unlawful behaviors, and hateful language, signs and symbols hurt our community.

Like many of you, we have experienced the intimidation used by protesters to target our city’s citizens. We lament how this tears at our social fabric and we call on all levels of government to continue to work for a peaceful end to the protest.

The present protest shocks us all. We know the civility, respect and dignity within the DNA of our neighbourhoods. Because you live and work in the Nation’s Capital, you have seen many protests, but this situation has become untenable.

While the language of individual rights permeates much of what we are seeing, we would recall you to the identity we have as a community and the care we are called to offer each other, body, mind and soul.

None of us are in this alone. Along with other faith traditions and community support, we are also here for you. Our resilience can come from the hope we find in mutual encouragement, the recognition of our neighbours and their needs, and the generous flow of compassion.

From our love of this city, our pain and sorrow, and even our outrage, will come resolve to carry us through this present darkness.

In hope and solidarity,

Clergy of Downtown Ottawa Christian Churches

The Very Reverend Beth Bretzlaff, Rector of Christ Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks Street

The Reverend Teresa Burnett-Cole, Glebe-St. James United Church, 650 Lyon Street South

The Rev. Dr. Karen Dimock, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 82 Kent Street

Rev Demanya Kofi Akoussah, Eglise unie St-Marc, 142 Lewis Street    

The Rev. Dr. Caroline Ducros, St. Albans Anglican Church, 454 King Edward Avenue                                            
The Rev. Simone Hurkmans, St. Albans Anglican Church, 454 King Edward Avenue

Rev. S.K. Moore, Southminster United Church, 15 Aylmer Avenue

Reverend Canon Hilary Murray, Chaplain, Cornerstone Housing for Women, 314 Booth Street

The Rev. Canon Stewart Murray, Church of St. Barnabas Apostle and Martyr, 70 James Street

Rev. John C. Perkin, Minister, First Baptist Church, 140 Laurier Avenue West

The Rev. Jim Pot, Knox Presbyterian Church, 120 Lisgar Street

The Reverend Canon Doug Richards, Christ Church Cathedral, 414 Sparks Street

The Reverend Victoria Scott, St. Luke’s Anglican Church, 760 Somerset Street West

The Rev. Gary van der Meer, St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church, 154 Somerset Street West

The Rev Rhonda Waters, Church of the Ascension, 253 Echo Drive

Rev. Paul Wu, Minister, St. Giles Presbyterian Church, 181 First Avenue

Rev. David White, Centretown United Church, 507 Bank Street

The Venerable Mark Whittall, Archdeacon Ottawa Centre, Anglican Diocese of Ottawa

 

An old Jewish saying comes to mind: “from their mouths to God’s ears.”

Pastor Beryl, DLM 

image: Centretown United Church, Ottawa

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