Texada Island United Church
  • Home
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • History
    • Links
  • Focus on Spirit
  • Prayers for the World
  • Milestones
    • Births, Deaths & more
    • In Memoriam
    • Advent Bible Study >
      • Advent Bible Study
      • Advent & Christmas Candle lighting
      • Past Events
  • Photo Gallery
    • Karen May, New Legion Chaplain
    • Church Photos
    • Battle Services >
      • Battle of Atlantic service - April 2015
      • Battle Service 2010
    • Tea & Bakesales >
      • Dessert Tea & Bake sale April 2015
      • Church Tea & Bake Sale Dec 2013
      • St Patricks Day Tea and Bake Sale 2013
      • St Patricks Tea 2010
      • Bake Sale 2009
    • Christmas >
      • Christmas Dinner 2014
      • Christmas Concert 2014
      • Christmas Day 2013
      • Christmas Eve 2013
      • Christmas Concert 2013
      • Christmas dinner at Legion 2013
    • Music Events >
      • Chor Musica Powell River Mens Choir - March 2015
      • Chor Musica Video
      • Joyful Noise Photos - 2008-2010, 2013
      • Advent in Song, Dec 2008
    • KSE photos >
      • KSE Photos 2010
      • KSE Photos 2009
      • KSE Photos 2008
    • More Photos >
      • Certificate of Thanksgiving 2014
      • Doretta's 60th
      • Appreciation Service, May 2010
      • Bowen Island Weekend Sep 2009
      • Yard Sale March 2009
      • Earth Day 2009
      • Van Anda Days July 2008
      • Leban Wedding, 2008
  • Church Notes
  • Reflections
    • From Services
    • For Kids
    • Something to Ponder

​Reflection for Sunday, May 17, 2020

16/5/2020

4 Comments

 
​Reflection for Sunday, May 17, 2020
Scripture: John 13:34-35  “The New Commandment”
I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Love One Another!
            It’s almost a cliché, isn’t it?  Yeah, yeah, we know that’s what we are supposed to do, but….. it’s not always easy.  It sure isn’t profitable!  And it reeks of weakness and sentimentality.
            But what if love is a verb – an action word – something we choose to do? We can choose to act kindly, compassionately, even toward those we don’t actually like at all.  We can rise above the feelings of disgust, or pity, or judgment that are our initial reactions, reminding ourselves of the new commandment.
            We are not speaking here of the Valentine’s Day kind of love. We are speaking more of the Mother Theresa kind of love – love that expresses itself in right and just action because all humans are children of the Creator.  It doesn’t matter that the person is old and dying, or diseased and unable to care for him or herself, or cognitively impaired, or incontinent… None of this takes away from the duty to care – for Christians, the duty to obey Christ’s commandment to love one another.
            I am reflecting on this today because the pandemic has brought the plight of our elders in care homes fully into view.  As a society, we collectively have been ignoring the neglect of our seniors for decades – maybe more.
            Our pursuit of our personal ambitions, our need for ever more productivity, and our blind obeisance to the profit motive have resulted in what Dr. Theresa Tam has called a “national disaster”.  We are now asking ourselves why is this happening?  How has this come to be the norm?  There’s no one at home anymore to take care of the children or the old folks.  There are lots of reasons for this, and many of them are good ones, but the onus is on all of us, I believe, to make sure that the care that is provided is well funded, respectful, and responsive to the needs of each individual.
            It is painfully obvious that in many places across Canada we have failed dismally to do this.  This situation is holding up a mirror to all of us - and we are probably finding it difficult to look into that mirror.
            It’s too easy to play the blame game – too easy to point fingers at somebody else.  But all that is way too easy.  This is a systemic problem that will not be easily solved without our collective will to do better.  We need to ask ourselves some hard questions:  why is it OK to profit from the inadequate care of our helpless seniors?  Why is it OK to pay people minimum wages for the important work of caring for the vulnerable among us?  How is it that a person has to put 2 or 3 precarious jobs together to make a barely livable wage with NO benefits?
            As followers of Jesus we are called to a higher calling than the imperative to make ever bigger profits.  We are called to love each other as he loves us. We are called to seek justice, and resist evil, and walk humbly with our God. We are called to take care of each other, and that is a very high calling indeed.
 
My prayer:  God of all, fill us with your love.  Teach us how to love the neighbour you send to us.
Peace be with us all.  Amen.
            
4 Comments
Irma Froese
17/5/2020 08:51:57 am

Thank you Karen for your reflections every Sunday! I appreciate each one..

Reply
Karen May
22/5/2020 10:47:13 am

Thanks Irma. Glad you find them useful!

Reply
Anne Thistle Salfi
21/5/2020 07:11:03 pm

This is one of my favorite scriptures. Through uncounted generations my father's family worked it out like this: youngest child ends up caring for the elderly parents. They were given the house and they all lived there, caring for each other. But I have a conundrum...my son says he wants to be the one to care for me if and when the time comes, but I really don't want to put him in that position. I would feel guilt. I would rather be cared for in a home. Close enough that they can visit. However, as you so well pointed out, our care facilities should be non profit, with money earned being reinvested into the facility. That includes fair wages and benefits for those who work there.

Reply
Karen May
22/5/2020 10:49:44 am

It's tricky, isn't it? I do think the onus is on us if we want the residential care option, to make it a good one - for all concerned! Nice to hear from you.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Jan. 22, 2023 More John the Baptist
    Jan. 15, 2023 Jesus and John the Baptist
    Jan. 8, 2023 Magi, Herod and Jesus
    Jan. 1, 2023 Welcome to the Kin-dom Kingdom
    Dec. 24, 2022 It's Christmas!
    Dec. 18, 2022 Love is Wild and Risky
    Dec. 11, 2011 Here Comes John the Baptist
    Dec. 4, 2022 Here Comes the Kingdom of God
    Nov. 27, 2022 Visions of Hope
    Nov. 20, 2022 Reign of Christ Sunday
    Nov. 13, 2022 The World We All Hope For
    Nov. 6, 2022 We are Invited!
    Oct. 9, 2022 A Little Faith!
    Oct. 2, 2022 Washing Feet, Being Love
    Sept. 25, 2022 Reconciliation
    Sept. 18, 2022 Forgiveness Again and Again
    Sept. 11, 2022 Confession
    Sept. 4, 2022 Freeing Jesus: Presence
    AUG. 28, 2022 Freeing Jesus: Way
    Aug. 21, 2022 Freeing Jesus: Lord
    Aug. 7, 2022 Freeing Jesus: Saviour
    July 31,2022 Freeing Jesus:Teacher
    July 24,2022 Freeing Jesus: Friend
    July 17, 2022 Let's Look at the Bible
    July 10, Hey Zacchaeus! I'm Coming Over!
    July 3, 2022 Who is This Jesus....
    June 19, 2022 The Trail to God
    June 12, 2022 The Trinity and the Good News
    June 5, 2022 It's Pentecost
    April 24, 2022 What About Peter?
    April 17, 2022 Easter Sunday
    April 10, 2022 Palm Sunday 2022
    April 3, 2022 Lent 5
    March 27, 2022 Jesus Overturning Tables
    March 6, 2022 Lent 1
    Feb. 27, 2022 Transfiguration
    Feb. 20, 2022 Called to Be the Church
    Feb. 13, 2022 Hagar was a Slave
    Jan. 23, 2022 Storms
    Jan. 16, 2022 Call and Temptation
    Jan. 9, 2022 The Magi and the Light
    Jan. 2, 2022 A New Year Awaits
    Dec. 19, 2021 Love...Grace....Response
    Dec. 12, 2021 What is this Joy?
    Dec. 5, 2021 Preparing the Way
    Nov. 28, 2021 Hope in This Advent Seaon
    Nov. 14, 2021 Surely God is Here!
    Nov. 7, 2021 What We Carry
    Oct. 31, 2021 Stories!
    Oct. 24, 2021 All About Ruth!
    Oct. 17, 2021 Gardengate
    Oct. 10, 2021 Thanksgiving Anyone?
    Oct. 3, 2021 What Unites Us
    Sept 19, 2021 Forgiveness etc.
    Sept. 12, 2021 Does Being Christian....
    Sept. 5, 2021 Connected
    Aug. 29, 2021 So Many Miracles
    Aug. 22, 2021 Advent to Easter
    Aug. 15, 2021 Messy Love
    August 8, 2021 JOY
    Aug. 1, 2021 Jesus Welcomes Us
    July 25,2021 Today I Choose Happy!
    July 18, 2021 Forgiveness
    July 11,2021 We Are the Church Together
    July 4, 2021 Gifts of the Spirit
    June 27/21 Unending Love, Amazing grace
    June 20, 2021 Walking the Road of Love
    June 13, 2021 Draw the Circle Wide 2
    June 6, 2021 Pentecost to Today
    May 2, 2021 Jesus: "Who do I say I am"
    April 25, 2021 Death Has Lost Its Sting
    April 18, 2021 Follow Me!
    April 11, 2021 The Road to Emmaus
    April 4, 2021 Easter Sunday
    April 2, 2021 Good Friday
    April 1, 2021 Maundy Thursday
    March 28, 2021 Palm Sunday
    March 21, 2021 Lent 5 Who is Jesus to You?
    March 14, 2021 Lent 4: Jesus Wept
    March 7, 2021 Lent 3: Desert Mothers & Fathers
    Feb. 28, 2021 Lent 2: Arwa's Story
    Feb. 21, 2021 Lent 1
    Feb. 17, 2021 Ash Wednesday
    Feb. 14, 2021 Love
    Feb.7, 2021 The Be-Attitudes
    Jan. 24, 2021 What is this Kingdom of God?
    Jan. 17, 2021 Calls - Nudges and Visions
    Jan. 10, 2021 Baptism of Jesus
    Jan. 3, 2021 You are the Light
    Dec. 25 2020 Christmas
    Dec. 20, 2020 Advent 4 - Love
    Dec. 13, 2020 Advent 3 - Joy
    Dec. 6 2020 Advent 2 - Peace
    Nov. 29, 2020 Advent 1- Hope
    Nov. 22, 2020 Light of the World
    Nov. 15, 2020. Talents and Gifts
    Nov. 8, 2020 Lest We Forget
    Nov. 1,2020. How to be a Saint
    Oct 25, 2020 Love God
    Oct. 18, 2020 Followers of the Way
    Oct. 11, 2020 Give Thanks
    Oct. 4,2020 Out on a Precipice
    Sept. 27, 2020. Out Beyond
    Sept. 20, 2020 Where is God
    Sept. 13, 2020. Intersectionality???
    Sept. 6, 2020 God IS Love
    Aug. 23, 2020 This is not a Test
    Aug 16, 2020 Draw the Circle Wide
    Aug 2, 2020 Wrestling with God
    July 26, 2020     Find and Seek
    July 19, 2020 I Know You
    July 12, 2020 Parable of the Sower
    July 5, 2020 What Do You Hope For?
    Sunday, June 28, 2020
    Sunday June 21, 2020
    Sunday, June 14, 2020
    Trinity Sunday, June 7, 2020
    Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020
    Sunday, May 24, 2020
    Sunday, May 17, 2020
    ​Sunday, May 10, 2020 – “Mother’s Day”
    ​Sunday, May 3, 2020 “There IS abundance!”
    Prayer for a Pandemic
    Hanging Out With Jesus

    ​COMMENTS: 

    We welcome discussion on content posted here!

    A comment field is present when looking at individual posts. If you don't see the comment area, click on the article heading to bring up the single post and its comment area.
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.