Watch the service here on Sunday morning.
In Memoriam: Shirley Robinson
[Hi folks, I know some of you will be shocked to hear that we have lost Shirley Robinson, and so soon after the passing of Lil Jones. Last Tuesday, two days after Lil died, Shirley went into palliative care. She passed away last Friday (August 7). Your newsletters had already been sent by the time I heard. -Amy]
Shirley Morrice Maynes Robinson, 1942-2020
Shirley loved to laugh. I remember a few years back when we did our “musical entertainments” in the church hall, Shirley would fill a table with friends from the Red Hat Society and they always seemed to be having the best time.
By the time I met her about ten years ago, Shirley had raised her family, she had put in her decades of work at Concordia and earned her pension, and she had met the love of her life, Ronnie Robinson. They would go on travels and adventures together, thoroughly enjoying their retirement, at least until Ronnie developed health issues. Even then, Shirley kept both of their spirits up with her irreverent sense of humour. She was devastated when Ronnie passed away in 2018.
At that time Shirley made the tough decision to move into the Cavalier LaSalle Residence, where I’m sure she quickly became known as the life of the party.
Then came 2020, and lockdown. Shirley was grateful to the staff at the Cavalier for keeping everyone safe, and she tried to keep a positive outlook, but she missed getting out, seeing family and friends. She also worried about Barbara Smith, who had been her neighbour at the Cavalier but who had been moved to a CHSLD when her health deteriorated. Shirley had been visiting her, but couldn’t now. They still talked on the phone.
Shirley developed her own health problems during lockdown, and towards the end of May, landed in hospital with shortness of breath. She had open-heart surgery on May 29th and was back home by June 10th. Things went well at first but the wound didn’t close properly and became infected. So it was back to hospital for a second surgery on June 25th. She came through it okay, but couldn’t seem to regain her strength.
She is mourned by her five daughters and three grandchildren as well as many, many friends. There will be a private memorial with her immediate family, and a celebration of life on Saturday August 15th at Rideau Gardens in Dollard-des-Ormeaux. The service, officiated by Pastor Beryl, will be live-streamed. Follow this link to find out more.
Shirley embodied the spirit of the Red Hats, an international women’s group inspired by the poem Warning, by Scottish writer Jenny Joseph (excerpt):
When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat which doesn’t go, and doesn’t suit me.
And I shall spend my pension on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals, and say we’ve no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I’m tired
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells
And run my stick along the public railings
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
Rest in peace, dear Shirley.
To join the livestream of the celebration of Shirley’s life at 11AM Saturday, click here.
Read the obituary from the Montreal Gazette here.
Photo from Shirley’s Facebook profile.
Summer Bible Crosswords
Rev. Mary Taylor of St. Paul United in Westville, NS, created a series of crosswords for her congregation which she has graciously agreed to share with us. In this first one, each clue is the first line of a book of the bible, King James version. You can download and print both clues and grid, or just the grid, using the buttons below. Good luck!
Music Notes: Each Blade of Grass
There is a hymn in More Voices that is a particular favourite. When the book first came out, the choir used to practise a new hymn and sing it on at least a few Sundays before ‘releasing’ it for general use. We tended to be quite proprietorial about some of them, I admit, and Each Blade of Grass (MV 37) was definitely one such hymn, so it was a long time before everyone in the church was given the opportunity to sing it!
We agreed that the music had a Cape Breton feel to it, and somebody in the choir (probably Aline) heard Rita MacNeil’s voice singing it. The music is listed as ‘Anonymous,’ from the United States Sacred Harmony, the 1799 edition. The words were written by Keri K. Wehlander in 2005 and they are beautiful. The text could stand alone as a poem, but the way the words are moulded to the melody makes the hymn so very effective and evocative.
Each blade of grass, ev’ry wing that soars, the waves that sweep across a distant shore, make full the circle of God.
Each laughing child, ev’ry gentle eye, a forest lit beneath a moon-bright sky, make full the circle of God.
When do we not need to be reminded of these truths?
Each cosmic hue, ev’ry creature’s way, all form the beauty of this vast array, make full the circle of God.
We are called to cherish, to love, and to protect. And I’d say we’re called to – as the late John Lewis would say – “make good trouble” when the circle of God is strained.
One of the joys of research is to discover links not previously apparent, and this was true for me with the author Keri Wehlander. She wrote the words to a few other hymns in More Voices, including In You There is a Refuge (MV 84) and the wonderful When Hands Reach Out Beyond Divides (MV 169), as near a call to the cause of social justice to be found in either hymn book we use.
When Hands Reach Out is a beautiful and emotional hymn that resembles Each Blade of Grass in that the text alone is strong, but welded to the music it becomes so much more powerful. And curiously, the music for MV 169 is also listed as ‘composer unknown.’ The stirring melody was taken from the Southern Harmony, 1854 edition: turbulent music for turbulent times; the United States of the mid 19th century was certainly divided on the most basic social issues, the same issues it grapples with today.
And yes, the choir held MV 169 very close for a very long time. The music is dramatic and poignant, and the words sound a clarion call:
When hands reach out beyond divides and hope is truly found, each chain of hate will fall away and bells of peace shall sound.
When fear no longer guides our steps and days of war are done, God’s dream for all shall live anew; our hearts will heal as one.
When race and creed blind us no more, a neighbor’s face we’ll see, and we shall dance the whole world round, for love will set us free.
Ah, the capacity of words and music to move and inspire us. As long as we are able, we must stand together and sing.
Sarah
New Testament 101: Philippians
Paul wrote this letter from jail (1.7) to thank the Lord’s followers at Philippi for helping him with their gifts and prayers. (1:5, 4:10-19). He hopes to be set free, so that he can continue preaching the good news (3: 17-19). But he knows that he might be put to death (1: 21, 2: 17, 3: 10).
The city of Philippi is in the part of northern Greece known as Macedonia. It was at Philippi that Paul had entered Europe for the first time, and there he preached the good news and began a Church (Acts 16). He now warns the Christians as Philippi that they may have to suffer, just as Christ suffered and Paul is now suffering. If this happens, the Philippians should count it a blessing that comes from having faith in Christ (1: 28-30).
There were problems in the church at Philippi because some of the members claimed that people must obey the law of Moses or they could not be saved. But Paul has no patience with such members and warns the church “Watch out for those people who behave like dogs!” (3: 2-11).
This letter is also filled with joy. Even in jail, Paul is happy because he has discovered how to make the best of a bad situation and because he remembers all the kindness shown to him by people in the church at Philippi. Paul reminds them that God’s people are to live in harmony (2:2, 4:2, 3) and to think the same way that Christ Jesus did:
Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain equal with God.
He gave up everything and became a slave,
when he became like one of us. (2: 6-7)
A quick look at this letter:
1. Greetings and a Prayer (1: 1-11)
2. What Life Means to Paul (1: 12-30)
3. Christ’s Example of True Humility (2: 1-18)
4. News About Paul’s Friends (2: 19-30)
5. Being Acceptable to God (3: 1-4, 9)
6. Paul Thanks the Philippians (4: 10-20)
7. Final Greetings (4: 21-23)
Beryl
SouthWest Online Service, August 9, 2020
Pastor Beryl’s pre-recorded service, with Sarah at piano, and soloist Katherine Black, will be available to watch below as of Sunday morning.
In Memoriam: Lil (Harris) Jones
UPDATE: The following appeared in the Montreal Gazette on August 15th:
HARRIS-JONES, Lily
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Lily Harris-Jones in her 94th year. Predeceased by her husband Earl Jones and survived by her loving son Brian and his wife Karen. Lil was a true character who will be missed by her family and friends. The family would like to thank Brenda Morris and family for all their care and love, as well as Helene Piche and Sheryl Skinner for their professionalism and friendship during her final years. Visitation will be at the Laurent Theriault Funeral Home, 510 rue de l'Eglise, Verdun, Quebec on Thursday, August 27, between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. A service will be held at the Field of Honor in Pointe Claire, Quebec, on Friday August 28, at 1:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, a donation to a charity of your choice is preferred.
ORIGINAL POST:
March 22, 1926 - August 2, 2020
Feisty.
It’s a word that always seemed to fit Lil like a glove.
She lived life on her own terms and did not suffer fools gladly.
Born into the Roaring 20s, Lil Harris grew up in the lean, mean years of the Depression.
She was, as she once told me, “one of the first customers” of the new Verdun United Church when it opened on Woodland Avenue in 1931. She attended Woodland School (now Verdun Elementary) when there was a Girls’ side and a Boys’ side. There is a picture somewhere of her standing with her classmates on the steps of the Girls’ entrance, taken sometime in the 1930s. That door would become the door to SouthWest Mission from 2008 to 2019, where Lil would attend Wednesday services, pitch in to help with Wednesday lunches, and dress up like an elf for children’s Christmas parties.
During World War II, Lil was a teenager flirting with boys on the Verdun Boardwalk. She remembered ration cards and air raid drills, and girls drawing fake seams down the back of their bare legs with eyebrow pencil to give the illusion of silk stockings.
I started to interview Lil about her life last fall, back before the lockdown. She wasn’t very comfortable talking on the phone and I kept saying I would go by and see her one day. Even then, her physical limitations meant she wasn’t getting out to church often. I talked to Lil a few times after the pandemic hit, to get news of what was happening at the Floralies Lasalle where she lived, and to make sure she was receiving her Friday newsletter (she was, but sometimes more than a week late as the residence carefully disinfected everything coming in). She managed to avoid Covid-19, although dozens of residents became infected, but the isolation took a toll.
Our face-to-face interview never happened, so there are many years of Lil’s life I don’t know about. Some of you probably know much more. I know that for decades she gave of her energy and talents to help keep our church going. And she made sure others did their part too: Lil would sidle up to you on a Sunday morning and request - order is more like it - a tray of your trademark squares or a three-bean-salad for the next church event. Braver women than I have been intimidated by that gravelly voice and those piercing blue-green eyes. Incidentally, we all knew Lil had a longer given name, but we were not permitted to use it. “Lil” would do just fine.
She was a good sport who loved good food and playing bingo. She will be sadly missed.
Lil had made pre-arrangements with Laurent Theriault Funeral Home, but as of this printing we don’t know any specifics about a celebration of life. Messages of condolence can be left on their website here.
At SouthWest, 2005
Amy
New Testament 101: Ephesians
“Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ for the spiritual blessings that Christ has brought us from heaven!”
Paul begins this letter to the Christians in Ephesus with a powerful reminder of the main theme of his message. Christ died on the cross to set us free (1: 7,8). But God raised Christ from death, and he now sits at God’s right side in heaven, where he rules over this world. And he will rule over the future world as well (1: 20, 21).
Christ brought Jews and Gentiles together by “breaking down the wall of hatred” that separated them (2:14) and he united them all as part of that holy temple where God’s Spirit lives (2:22). This was according to God’s eternal plan (3:11).
Wow! Heavy stuff! Ephesians is not a book we read from on a regular basis and for many, these words are somewhat hard to “get around”.
Nonetheless, Ephesus was a port city on the western shore of Asia Minor (modern day Turkey). In Paul’s time this was the fourth largest city in the Roman empire. It was also an ancient center of nature religion where the goddess Artemis was wildly worshiped (Acts 19).
In his letter, Paul lets the Ephesians know that much is expected of people who are called to new life (4: 17-5: 20). Followers of the Lord are God’s dear children and they must do as God does (5: 1). They used to live in the dark, but they must now live in the light and make their light shine (5: 8,9).
Paul then teaches husbands and wives, children and parents and slaves and masters how to live as Christians (5:21-6,9). Slaves and masters are words which are offensive to so many today. Paul never forgets how kind God is. (In those ancient days slaves might have had other views).
God was merciful! We were dead because of our sins, but God loved us so much that he made us alive with Christ, and God’s wonderful kindness is what saves you (2: 4,5). You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own (2: 8).
A Quick Look at This Letter
1. Greetings (1: 1,2)
2. Christ Brings Spiritual Blessings (1:3 -3:21)
3. A New Life in Unity with Christ (4:1 – 6:20)
4. Final Greetings (6: 21, 24)
Beryl
Beryl
Music Notes (Aug. 7, 2020)
[Our Music Director, Sarah Fraser, will be contributing “Music Notes” each week to keep you updated on all things ‘mostly musical’ in the SouthWest community.]
Over my head, I hear music in the air
I’ve walked into the church many, many times on my own over the years, from early in the morning to late at night. The remains of the latest activity could always be seen or felt, whether music binders piled on the piano, plates of cookies in the kitchen, chairs around the center table in the basement pushed back in such a way as to suggest their most recent occupants. The continuum of life.
The first time I set foot in the church after the virus had written its edict, I felt the space crowded with sounds. Voices, music, in a blend of distant memory and the kinds of recollections that blur the lines between past and present. It was eery, a little sad, and then very, very poignant.
I think that is why I have put off writing about Steve for so long. His death came as such a shock, and although a day will pass now that I don’t think about him, I always hear his voice as strong as ever as soon as I enter the church, sit down at the piano, look up at the organ or the chairs at the front of the church where the choir sat for rehearsals. I knew Steve through music, that is where we met. And as with all true musicians, music ran through every fibre of his being. He had a performer’s perfectionism and edge; everything he sang had to mean something to him for him to feel he could bring a song to life. And to me, he simply got better and better.
Dennis, Dorothy and Aline came out to my place last Friday – to sit among the hens, chicks, ducks and geese in a summer’s gentle breeze, to eat together and to laugh a little. Wolf the organ builder came by as well to share the humour only he and Dennis can appreciate, Dorothy kicked the ball for Carson the black lab, and I was able to speak with Aline in person for the first time since we last saw each other in early March, when everything that was to ensue was on a horizon beyond imagination. She is strong, our Aline, so for those of you who have worried, she’s going to be alright. She brought me a programme Steve had carefully saved from a concert Roman gave years ago, the programme notes and ticket stub neatly enclosed. So very Steve.
Over my Head… we sang this many, many times with Steve, and oh, did he love it! The choir sings a constant refrain, and the solo voice rises above it. It’s an arrangement of an African American spiritual that we did first with Amy, years ago, for Black History Month. A wonderful piece that fit him like a glove.
Steve thrived on new challenges, and whenever I’d propose a new song, he had a way of shrugging, smiling, shuffling and laughing all at the same time. He always said he’d think about it, listen to a few other versions if he could find them, and let me know the week after. He invariably said yes. I discovered his voice when we started presenting evenings dedicated to the music of the 30s and 40s; Steve always did his best with the bass line in Mozart and Vivaldi, but it was in Gospel and Blues that he came to life. 30s and 40s ushered that in, as well as a whole lot of fun working with Linda and Amy as part of the Showstoppers. He sang music by Thomas Dorsey and Paul Simon, and last year for Remembrance, Where Have All the Flowers Gone. Ah, that was beautiful.
New was good, but when I’d pull out Over My Head with a question mark on my face, I was always met with the smile a musician reserves for a dear old friend - a favourite piece of music.
It starts with the choir singing Over my head very softly, and when Steve would step forward to sing When the storms of life are raging, he took command, and he beamed with life, love, and happiness.
Over my head, I hear music in the air,
Over my head, I hear music in the air,
Over my head, I hear music in the air,
There must be a God somewhere.
I miss him, we all miss him, and when we meet together again, we will join hands in spirit, hear his voice and gentle laughter, and feel so much better for having known him.
Sarah
Steve Scales singing Gospel, with Sarah at the piano.
Order of Service, August 9, 2020
Download this Sunday’s bulletin below.
