Beryl's Blog: Quiet Deeds (Lent, Week 2)

Lent is a time for internal reflection or introspection.  This week, a verse from Matthew came to mind.  Although the context is giving to the needy, I thought it might be appropriate to share on our Lenten journey.  In fact, you might enjoy reading Matthew chapters Six and Seven for inspiration and contemplation during this coming week.

Matthew 6:1 New International Version (NIV)

 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

Listed hereunder are a few things which can be quietly done during the weeks to come.  They require no fanfare, no explanation and can be repeated only once, or daily or weekly, as the Spirit moves through your day.

-      Don’t purchase anything you do not need

-      Take stock of what you are not using, especially items which can be used at shelters, pack them up and make arrangements to deliver them

-      Organize one drawer or one closet each day for not more than 30 minutes

-      Do not listen to or share gossip

-      Take fifteen minutes each day to care for the wonderful body which God gave you – walk, run, meditate, soak in the tub surrounded by candles

-      Practice intermittent fasting – eat only between the hours of 10am to 6pm

-      Drink tap water and carry it with you instead of purchasing plastic water bottles

-      Each day, say at least one nice thing to your partner, children/grandchildren and your pets

-      Don’t eat out for the period of Lent. Give any money saved to a local food bank

-      Replace 30 minutes of television or screen time with 30 minutes of reading, or prayer, or meditation or face to face time with someone you care about

-      Do not complain or speak negatively

-      Let someone cut in line in front of you

-      If you are buying a coffee and are able to, pay for the person in line behind you

-      Call someone you have not seen or heard from in the past two months

-      Offer to pick up something at the store for a neighbour.

I am sure you can think of many other things yourself.  Whatever you do, do it without the need for recognition. Let it be between Creator God and you.

In peace

Beryl

In our Good News pew Bibles, Matthew 6 is on pages 9-10 in the New Testament and Matthew 7 is on pages 10-12.

Soup Fellowship for Lent

You are invited to bring your appetite every Sunday in March as instead of just sweets and coffee, we will be offering soup after the service for the five weeks of Lent.

Church Notes

Feb. 28

• This Sunday, March 1st, please, as you are able, bring in non-perishable food donations for Manna Food Bank.

• Shirley Stark has put together one of her luxury gift baskets to be raffled off as a fundraiser for needed kitchen equipment. Two bottles of wine, wine glasses, nuts, chocolates and more can all be yours for a $1 raffle ticket. Of course you’ll want to buy more than one ticket to increase your chances! Tickets on sale as of March 1st. Drawing on Easter Sunday, April 12.

• If you are interested in ordering a chrysanthemum plant for Easter, please contact Shirley Stark before April 4th. Payment is required in advance since the plants have to be paid for when they are picked up. The plants will adorn the church on Easter Sunday and you will take them home after the service.

• We are always looking for new people to add to the mix of scripture readers on Sunday morning. Speak to Beryl or Dennis or call the office if you would like to help out with this important part of worship.

• Have you got something to say? The newsletter welcomes contributors. Have you attended a church or community event you want to tell people about? Do you have a funny or inspiring story, from the past or the present? Is there an issue you’d like to bring to our readers’ attention? We will try to use everything we receive, though we may do some editing.

Lenten Message from the UCC Moderator

Richard Bott, Moderator of the United Church of Canada, says that the ashes of Ash Wednesday are a reminder of all the life you are called to live. Read a transcript of his message below or click to watch the video.

Transcript of Videotaped Message by Richard Bott

Hello! The grace of Jesus Christ be with you. My name is Richard Bott. I’m the Moderator of The United Church of Canada.

The season of Lent begins with an important day: Ash Wednesday.

Traditionally, during worship that day, there is a ritual in which a cross is made on the forehead or the hand out of ash. In the church we call it “the imposition of ashes.” When the minister makes the mark of the cross in ash, they often say, “From dust you come, to dust you will return.” It’s a moment in which we remember that everything comes to an end.

The ash, the cross—these are memento mori, things that we carry to remind us of the reality of death. Not just death in general, but our own individual deaths.

Morbid, eh?

Strangely, it’s not. It’s almost like everything gets turned upside down. This moment isn’t only about lament and death; it’s about celebrating life because the two are so deeply intertwined.

In a world that seems to be driven by fear, in a world where hopelessness seems to be taking over, in a world of climate crisis, in a world where leaders seem to be building tensions between people rather than working for peace, those of us who are disciples of Jesus, we need to be people who live hope: hope in God, hope in our neighbours, hope for the world.

For the 40 days of Lent, I would like to ask you to join with me in celebrating life each day.

I would like to ask you to help me to turn the world upside down.

I would like to ask you to join with other disciples of Jesus in believing in the abundant life that he said he was bringing to all creation, and to be people who live hope in that life everywhere we go.

Feel the ash on your forehead or on your hand and remember not only your death, but remember, too, all of the life that you are called to live!

In life. In death. In life-beyond-death, God is with all creation.

Alleluia!

Pass the Peace, Not the Germs

Like many churches, at SouthWest we like to take a moment during every service to pass the peace, or just greet our neighbours. It’s a lovely tradition that tends to include a lot of squeezing of hands. But what do we do when flu season or a scary virus on the news makes us recoil at the thought of touching hands? Do we skip this emotionally satisfying part of the service and try not to even breathe the same air as our neighbour during church?

Of course not, but what we can do is modify our behavior so that there’s still emotional contact, but less of the physical kind. Make direct eye contact with people and give them a big smile; flash a peace sign with your fingers, or try an “elbow bump” instead of a handshake.

Washing hands with soap and warm water is still the most important thing we can all do to avoid passing germs. An important step to add to your routine here is to use a piece of paper towel to turn off the taps when you’re done so as not to pick up any germs from them.

Obviously, if you have flu symptoms, you should stay home from church - but do call and let us know you’re sick and if we can do anything for you. The phone, as the jingle writer well knew, is a great way to “Reach out and touch someone” - just be sure to give the receiver (or screen) a wipe with disinfectant from time to time!

Peace be with you, and hope to bump elbows sometime soon,

Amy

Beryl's Blog: The Origin of Some Lenten Practices

Do we know why we continue to practice certain Lenten traditions?

For Christians, Shrove Tuesday marks the last day before Lent, traditionally a period of abstinence, associated with clearing your cupboards of goods such as sugar, fats and eggs. Traditionally, pancakes were eaten on this day to use up these foods before the 40-day fasting season of Lent began.  Some people believed that the ingredients necessary for pancakes represented the four pillars of the Christian faith – flour as the “staff of life”, eggs as “creation”, milk as “purity” and salt as “wholesomeness”.

This year, Shrove Tuesday fell on February 25th and we celebrated with pancakes and the dispensation of ashes.

The word 'shrove' derives from the English word 'shrive', which means “to obtain absolution for one's sins by way of confession and penance”.  The day gets its unique name from the custom for Christians to be 'shriven' before the start of Lent. They would be called to confession by the ring of a bell which came to be known as the 'pancake bell' and it is still rung in some churches today.

The pancake has a very long history and is featured in cookery books as far back as 1439. The tradition of tossing or flipping them is almost as old. According to legend, the tradition was born in the 15th century when a woman in Buckinghamshire rushed to church to confess her sins while mid-way through making pancakes. 

Shrove Tuesday is the last day of what traditionally was called “Shrovetide,” the week preceding the beginning of Lent.  The word itself, Shrovetide, is the English equivalent for “Carnival,” which is derived from the Latin words carnem levare, meaning “to take away the flesh.”  (Note that in Germany, this period is called “Fasching,” and in parts of the United States, particularly Louisiana, “Mardi gras” or Fat Tuesday)  While this was seen as the last chance for merriment, and unfortunately in some places resulted in excessive pleasure, Shrovetide was the time to cast off things of the flesh and to prepare spiritually for Lent.

While this week of Shrovetide condoned the partaking of pleasures from which a person would abstain during Lent, Shrove Tuesday had a special significance in England.  Pancakes were prepared and enjoyed, because in so doing a family depleted their eggs, milk, butter, and fat which were part of the Lenten fast.  At this time, some areas of the Church abstained from all forms of meat and animal products, while others made exceptions for food like fish.  For example, Pope St. Gregory (d. 604), writing to St. Augustine of Canterbury, issued the following rule: “We abstain from flesh, meat, and from all things that come from flesh, as milk, cheese, and eggs.”  These were the fasting rules governing the Church in England; hence, the eating of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday.

Keep in mind, for this same reason, Easter was celebrated with decorated eggs and fresh breads.  Another interesting note surrounding the Easter egg, just as an aside, is that it symbolized the resurrection: just as a little chick pecks its way out from the egg shell to emerge to new life, so Christ emerged from the tomb to new and everlasting life.

As we begin our preparations for Lent, I hope we might find the time for a little meditation and prayer during our journey and I offer the following words to start us off.

Love has its source in you Creator God
Flows from you like an ocean into a world as unyielding as any shoreline cliff
And like the ocean which batters, erodes and wears away even the hardest stone
Your love persists, finds cracks and inlets in hardened hearts, flows inside and works a miracle.
Who would think that water was more powerful than granite, love mightier than the hardest heart
Thank you, Creator God   

[Found on www.faithandworship.com/liturgy_Lent_1.htm]

In peace,

Beryl

From the Frontlines of the Wet’suwet’en Struggle

From Broadview magazine
TOPICS:JUSTICE | OPINION

I gained a spiritual understanding through people's stories about what this territory means to them

By Natalie Maxson

February 19, 2020

It was dark when we arrived at the Gidimt’en camp outside Houston, B.C., with a trunk full of groceries and winter camping gear for everyone to share. My colleague and I were volunteers with Christian Peacemaker Teams, and had travelled to the site at the 27-kilometre mark along Morice West Forest Service Road in response to a call from Wet’suwet’en leaders for legal observers. It was evening in early February, and the camp was lit with the glow of a bonfire. The sound of people chopping firewood filled the air. 

Beryl's Blog: The Lord is my Shepherd

I stand looking out my kitchen window and realize that, as February winds down and I am become even more weary of winter in general, my thoughts are turning to comfort food.  Home made macaroni and cheese, hearty vegetable stew with dumplings, bread pudding – the food of my childhood – a time when I felt protected, secure and loved.

This week, thoughts of comfort and well being brought to mind the 23rd Psalm.

Psalm 23 is one of the most popular and beloved psalms in the Bible. We often hear it recited at church, but it is also one of the most requested readings at funerals.

Psalm 23, believed to be written by King David, is more than just a beautiful piece of poetry.  Before David became king of Israel, he was a shepherd. He took care of and protected flocks of sheep, and he wrote this psalm describing God as a shepherd and God’s people as God’s flock. Through this beautiful metaphor, we are given invaluable insight into the character of God.

Like all psalms, Psalm 23 was used in worship by the ancient Hebrews. The writer describes God as his shepherd, in the role of protector and provider. The psalm is read, recited and sung by Jews and Christians alike and has been called the best-known of the psalms for its universal theme of trust in God.

For me, its most poignant reading comes from the King James version:

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

This week, our theme for worship at both the Champlain and the Floralies was the 23rd Psalm.  After worship, we ended with a benediction which I would now like to share with you.

May you always know that you are in the fold of the Good Shepherd.

May you lie down in the green pastures of restfulness.

May you drink deeply from the still waters of peace and love.

May you dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Amen.

In peace,

Beryl

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Bagpipes but were afraid to ask

Photo: Jenna Dennison on Facebook

Jenna Dennison will be at SouthWest United this Sunday to play, demonstrate, and yes, answer any and all questions. She is young, enthusiastic, and very, very talented! 

She's been to the church a few times to play, most notably when she also wrote a special Remembrance Day arrangement of In Flanders Fields for the choir and soloists.

Come and enjoy!

Worship begins at 10AM and is led this Sunday by Stewart Burrows.

Beryl's Blog: Compassion

I am an animal and bird lover.  In the country, you would think that there is food aplenty for all of God’s creation.  But, unfortunately, that is not the case.  As humanity encroaches on traditional food hunting areas, the foxes, coyotes, and even raccoons find themselves with reduced space and an increase in competition for the same food.

In the winter when prey is scarce, I cannot, with a clear conscience, throw any leftovers in the compost bin.  Some desperate creature, even carnivores, will hungrily devour those left-over roast potatoes, rice, carrots, apple cores and peeling, or stale bread.

Our bird feeder is a hub of activity from dawn ‘til dusk.  Blue Jays, Cardinals, Chickadees, the odd Robin who did not make the flight south and, squirrels.  So many squirrels – black, grey, red.

It is the squirrels that have my heart this week.  This winter has brought an increase in mange, especially for the squirrels.  Hairless and defenseless against the cold and the snow, they arrive at the feeder.  The horror of their nakedness and my inability to help them haunts me.  I do not want to see it, yet, I cannot look away.  There are days when I pray to Creator God to end the suffering as quickly as possible.

I am consumed with wanting to help.  But, in reality, all I can offer is compassion.

What is compassion?   Once again, I found myself turning to my favourite spiritual author, Joyce Rupp. In her book “Boundless Compassion – Creating a Way of Life”, I found the following quote.

“Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion and anguish.  Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears.  Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable and powerless with the powerless.  Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”

Sister Joyce took this quote from Donald P. McNeill, Douglas A. Morrison and Henri J.M. Nouwen, Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life” (New York: Image Books, 1983)

This world, more than ever before, needs compassion.  Jesus was a man of compassion.  We, as followers, are asked to do the same.  Let’s be a beacon of compassion for all God’s creation in this world of greed, uncertainty and indecision.

In peace

Beryl