Reflections for Sunday, February 24, 2019
1st Scripture Reading:  Genesis 45:1-11, 15  & Psalm 37
Reflection:
          Joseph’s brothers didn’t like him very much.  In fact this sibling rivalry extended to wanting to do him actual harm.  He was the clear fabourite of their father, and the other boys were very jealous.
          So, the story goes that one day young Joseph was sent out to the fields to get his brothers, and they decided to  get rid of him.  They didn’t kill him, but put him down a pit designed to trap animals.  He was rescued by some Ishmaelites who sold him to a passing caravan heading to Egypt.
          Sold into slavery in Egypt, Joseph rose to greatness in the household of the Pharaoh of Egypt, becoming a very powerful and influential public servant.
          This reading is about the reconciliation of Joseph with his brothers, who do not recognize him, but who do remember their guilt over what they did to him.  Joseph reveals himself to them, and assures them that he has forgiven them, and there is no need for them to feel guilt, as he feels that God has directed his life so that now he is in a very good position to help his people in this terrible time of famine.
          This story reminds us to look for the blessing in whatever happens to us, and not to hold hatred in our hearts for those who have wronged us.
          Families can be home to difficult relationships for sure.  My mother and her sister didn’t speak to each other for many years over a disagreement about the disposition of my grandmother’s property. I am happy to say that they were eventually reconciled, but as a child I never knew how that came about.  A little more clarity around the will of my grandmother might have prevented this unpleasantness altogether.
          As a Canadian right now, you and I are faced with a couple of situations where relationships are damaged and we must try to find our way forwards to a more harmonious future.  I am thinking of our relationships with our indigenous neighbours, and in BC with our friends in Alberta.
          Old hurts must be brought into the Light of reason and forgiveness, and then, only moving the focus onto what is best for the people, and best for the land, and most of all what is best for future generations, will generate new thinking, compromise and clearer vision.  We are all in this together.  We are all creatures of a loving God. We are all totally dependent on the resources of this beautiful planet for our health and well-being, and that of our children and grandchildren.  God has provided.  God will continue to provide.  Let us lean into God’s infinite mercy.
 
Hymn #271 VU “There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy”
 
2nd Scripture Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-44 (Read “Message”)
                                        Luke 6:27-38
Reflection:
          “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”  There is a version of this spiritual law in every major religion.  If we would all live this truth as Law, this world would be a different place.  There would be no sexual abuse of children or vulnerable adults.  There would be no financial exploitation of seniours. There would be no unemployment or homelessness.  There would be no artificial barriers to education and opportunity.  There would be no danger of extinction of other species.
          Because we would care.  We would care to find ways to help all our citizens feel worthy – worthy of respect, of shelter, of adequate housing, of educational support to realize their dreams.  We would care that whales need habitat that is clean and quiet.  We would care that some rural communities have no clean water and mouldy housing.
          The challenge is huge.  I know that.  But if we all do what we can.  If we refuse to contribute to negativity and hatred and the need for revenge or punishment.  If we pray for those who don’t get it – who demonstrably do not live by the Law of Love – then things will change. They will change.  And our world will change for the better.  This is our calling.  It never was easy, and maybe it never will be – but make no mistake, this is exactly what Jesus calls us to do, people of God.
          We are the seeds.  We are the yeast that leavens the whole loaf.  There is work to do, and it is ours to do.
 
Hymn #703 VU “In the bulb there is a flower”
 

Reflections for Sunday, Feb. 17, 2019
1st Scripture Reading:  Jeremiah 17:5-10 & Psalm 1
Reflection:
          I brought the last bunch of my garlic to show you this morning. You are probably wondering why…   The reading from Jeremiah talks about the importance of roots.  Let me read you this reading again but from “The Message” Bible translation:  (READ)
          I hang my garlic up just as it comes from my garden.  You can see it still has lots of roots on it, as well as dried leaves.  Without those roots the bulbs would get no nourishment from the soil or the water in the soil.  Without roots, the one clove I planted would not have become the full bulbs that you see.  If the soil had been depleted, or the water supply inadequate, those bulbs would have been stunted – if they had grown at all.
          What we are planted and rooted in makes a difference.  Jeremiah tells us not to depend on human thinking and actions for our spiritual growth and safety.  Humans are fallible.  Humans may be corrupt and self-serving.  Humans in power – who have the power to make decisions that affect our lives – those humans may be influenced by the desires and motivations of other humans – and sometimes it seems that none of them are guided by the real needs of real people, or by any sense of doing what is right.
          Which brings us back to God.  The very first Psalm in our scripture tells us “Blessed are those who follow the law of God.”   “They are like trees planted beside streams of water, yielding their fruit in due season. Their leaves do not wither, and whatever they produce shall prosper.”
          We need to be conscious of where our roots are – from what source are we drawing our strength?  How are we making moral decisions about how we shall live our lives?  Do we think for ourselves about issues that require deep consideration – issues of ethical concerns, issues around social justice, or care for the environment?  Do we ask for spiritual guidance when we are unsure – and then listen to the still small voice of Spirit – the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that spark of the Divine living in each of us?  Or do we listen to the “talking heads” on evening news shows, or go to Google for answers, or read books by “experts”?
           The Living God has not abandoned us, and never will.  We are all invited to draw on the strength and the great love of God that nourishes and protects us as we grow into spiritual maturity – like Living Water.
Hymn #87 MV “Living Water”
 
2nd Scripture Reading:  1 Corinthians 15:12-20 & Luke 6:17-26
Reflection:
          Holy Mystery. Paul points out that our faith pivots around the resurrection of Jesus. We read or hear the story over and over again if we are Christians. Some of us believe in a physical resurrection – a restoration of the body as we know it.  Some believe in a more mystical or spiritual resurrection – a continuation of consciousness in some form other than a physical body.  And some folk believe that the story is a metaphor for what we see around us:  new comes from old, birth from death, success from failure.  The compost we lovingly create and put on our gardens nourishes new life in the spring.
          I confess that I don’t know yet what resurrection will look like – but I do believe that it is a critical part of Jesus’ message, and of our faith.  After all we have been promised eternal life, haven’t we? Jesus has assured us that he will be with us to the end of time – but he is not here in a body, is he?  Yet many of us can attest to his presence in our lives.  And he did say that he couldn’t stay with us in the body, or else the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, would not be able to be with us.  More mystery!
          He also promised that he goes “to prepare a place for you.” We can only guess what that “place” looks like. More mystery…
          I personally believe that we are deeply spiritual beings, and that our life here on earth is not the end. Like the caterpillar who spins a cocoon and goes to sleep only to be transformed into a butterfly – a creature infinitely more beautiful and complex than the caterpillar – we are being prepared for a new life of the spirit – more Holy Mystery.
          Spirit of life – we aren’t just bone and sinew – we are consciousness and personality and mind and heart – and finally Spirit!  Children of God, there is nothing to be afraid of.  Trust in the power and the Love of God.  All will be well.
Hymn #381 VU “Spirit of Life”
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Reflections for Sunday, February 3, 2019
1st Scripture Reading:  Jeremiah 1:4-10  & Psalm 71
Reflection:
          We have been given an amazing gift!  The gift of life in miraculous bodies on this beautiful planet that supplies all our needs.
          The prophet Jeremiah reminds us that we didn’t just happen here by chance – but that something called “God” created us and has known us from before we were born!
          “In you, O Lord, I take refuge…..Be to me a rock of refuge, a strong fortress.”  I have a card on my dresser mirror at home that says these things.  God is my refuge, my fortress, my strength in times of trouble.  Who is God to you?  If I asked you privately, I am sure I would get many different answers – as each of us has internalized an idea, an image of God that will not be exactly the same as another.
          And that is why you often hear me refer to God as “the God of many names”.  Two weeks ago some of us watched the movie “the Shack”.  God in this movie appears as a black middle-aged woman to a man who had been horribly abused by his father.  The suggestion was that God appears or appeals to us in different ways depending on our own situation, our history, and our personal need.
          I personally know and have experienced the POWER of God – without any attached image of God. And I have experienced the great and unconditional LOVE of God thru my personal relationship with Jesus. So these are the ways that I know about God.  Your experience is undoubtedly different from mine in the details at least.  We are different.  Our lives take on different trajectories that are known to God.  We are all guided by that presence of God in some form that we recognize, that acts on and in our lives for our greatest good.
Hymn #644 VU “I was there to hear your borning cry”
 
2nd Scripture Reading:  1 Corinthians 13:1-13  & Luke 4:21-30
Reflection:
          The reading from first Corinthians is one I often use, as many ministers do, in wedding ceremonies.  Paul felt it necessary, in this letter to the early church at Corinth, to describe for these early converts the precise nature of the great love that Jesus came to teach us about.  It doesn’t hurt any of us to be reminded of what exactly we are talking about when we refer to God’s love for all of Creation, Jesus’ love for all humanity, and our professed love for one another, especially in marriage.
          What is interesting, too, in this discourse, is what is not described – what is NOT love.  Chasing after status within the group, discrimination against those considered “unworthy”, and the self-righteous pursuit of revenge, were all issues of concern to Paul, prompting him to write this letter.
          It’s not easy to have your old world turned upside down.  Changing our old ways of thinking and doing things is never without challenge and push-back.  And this is what Jesus experienced in the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth.  He told them that perhaps they were not the loving and helpful people they thought they were – that perhaps they did need to be set free, but that vengeance was not God’s way.  The implication that perhaps they had a lot to learn from him did not go over well – especially as they knew him as Joseph the carpenter’s son – not as an inspired teacher – a messenger from God.
          And so – in a fit of mob rage and violence – they tried to kill him.  But you can repress and manipulate the truth sometimes – but you can never kill it.  The truth of who we are as children of God cannot be suppressed forever.  Thanks be to Jesus for telling us the truth that sets us free.
         
 
Hymn #333 VU “Love divine, all loves excelling”
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