Article on forgiveness

On this past Sunday, I preached on forgiveness.  On the same day, the Toronto Star published an article about ex-football player Orlando Bowen who was falsely accused of a crime that he did not commit.  He wrote an open letter of forgiveness to the 2 police officers who beat him and planted drugs on him.  Click here to read this article. 

Yours in Christ, Emma.

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32

What kind of herd are we?

On Sunday, I preached on the parable of the lost sheep from Matthew 18 and my hope was to encourage people to look at this parable in a different way during the season of Lent.  My question was this - Are we more like sheep (aka docile animals who follow their shepherd) or cats (aka fiercely independent animals who follow their own desires)?

Here are two videos from YouTube.com about sheep and cats:
MythBusters episode - Herding cats
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSPJqcvgQYg

Extreme Sheep Herding
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGOGOxtN2lM

Yours in Christ, Emma.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

Psalm 23:1

World Day of Prayer reflection

Tonight, we joined with men and women around to world to celebrate the World Day of Prayer.  This ecumenical service brings us together to worship, learn, and pray for a specific region of the world.  The focus of this year's service was the women of Egypt and the passage was John 4:3-42, which is the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well. 

Here is my reflection on this passage:

Water.  We all need it.  Our bodies are full of this life giving substance and we need to replenish our bodies with it on a daily basis.  Our absolute and unequivocal need for water is one of the ways in which we are all connected as human beings.  Our gender, race, ethnicity, nationality and social status are irrelevant when it comes to water.  And because such basic necessities are universal, the interaction between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well speaks to us all. 

Both Jesus and the woman were drawn to the well so that they could get water.  It was noontime and the sun was at its hottest.  Jesus was tired from his travels and waited for the disciples to get some food in a nearby town.  The Samaritan woman was coming to the well to get water for her family.  So both of them were alone.  This woman did not come to the well when the other women came – no, that would be too embarrassing.  Too risky.  Instead, she collected her water at the hottest time of the day in order to avoid the crowds.  Most women collected their water in the morning when the sun was not so hot.  And the well was a gathering place for these women.  A time to catch up with neighbours and share the news of the day.  A time to watch the children play.  But for this woman, this gathering time was not one of friendship and laughter, but one of shame.  All the women talked about her behind her back.  Some were even bold enough to talk in front of her.  Even their children kept their distance.  She was an outsider.  An outcast. 

So the fact that Jesus even spoke to her at all is a key part of this story because they were separated from each other by gender, religion, and ethnicity.  And yet Jesus approached her - Can I have a drink?  The interaction that followed Jesus’ question – which we have just heard re-told to us through the eyes of 4 Egyptian women – is a wonderful story because the woman learns that there is a different kind of living water.  One that goes beyond providing for our bodies. 

The living water that Jesus offers is one that nourishes our souls and gives us eternal life.  And it is freely available to those who put their trust in God.  It is available to us here in Burlington, to the people of Egypt, to the people of the Ukraine, and to all people around the world.  By offering this living water to this woman – who is a foreigner, an outsider, and a sinner - Jesus breaks down the artificial boundaries that are all around us.  He breaks down these walls by offering the same water to all of God’s people. 

For Christians in Egypt, this passage brings them both comfort and hope.  The comfort in this passage comes from the fact that they can relate to this interaction on a practical level far better than we are able to.  We have no such need to gather at a well, but there are still parts of Egypt where this way of life is a reality.  According to UNICEF, over 800 million people around the world do not have easy and reliable access to clean water.  As a result, acquiring this basic necessity of life demands a lot of time and effort and this work is mostly done by women and children.  So for many Egyptian women, they can easily picture themselves in this story and as result, they know that Jesus is speaking directly to them.

This passage also gives Egyptian Christians hope.  Because Jesus breaks down so many barriers throughout his ministry, he gives them a reason to hope - that through the power of our God – barriers can come down in Egypt.  And there are a lot of barriers that need to be broken down in Egyptian society.  Barriers between men and women.  Barriers between rich and poor.  Barriers between Christians and Muslims.  Through God, peace and reconciliation are possible. 

This is a powerful message for God’s people - no matter where we live and no matter what challenges we face as individuals and in our communities – we have hope through Jesus Christ.  We have an awesome God, who anointed Jesus to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives, to give sight to the blind, and to let the oppressed go free.  (Luke 4:18)  We are indeed blessed!

This powerful message is one that needs to be shared with others, which is exactly what the Samaritan woman does.  She does not keep it to herself, but goes back to her home and her community and shares Jesus’ living water with others.  Although we are far removed from the Samaritan woman’s life and from the lives of the women of Egypt, we need to follow the Samaritan woman’s example and be open to those moments when the Holy Spirit gives us opportunities to share the gospel at the well.  Where are the wells in your daily world?  And how can you share your own story of drinking Christ’s living water so that others might taste and see that God is good?

As we go from this worship service, it is our hope that you will feel a deeper connection to the women of Egypt.  They are a diverse group, but they want the same things that we do.  They want to provide for their families and to live in a peaceful and prosperous land.  One of the most important ways for us to connect with these women is through prayer.  In Hamilton, there is one Presbyterian mission outreach for Arab speaking people.  It is called the Al-Manarah, which means lighthouse in Arabic.  The minister who serves in this mission sent out an email to the Presbyterian churches in the area who are participating in World Day of Prayer services and he asked us to pray for the following for the people of Egypt: freedom, justice, peace, equality, and love.  And so we pray so that we might serve as lighthouses in our communities and our world in Christ’s name. Amen. 

Yours in Christ, Emma.

Sanctuary repairs are finished

We are grateful that the repairs to the ceiling in the sanctuary have gone very smoothly and are now complete.  As of March 2nd, we will be able to worship in our sanctuary. 

A special thanks to all of the people who have helped in the past 3 weeks with coordinating this work and helping with our worship services in the Fellowship Hall. 

Blessings, Emma.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock."

Matthew 7:24-25

Update on repairs to the Sanctuary

Work has begun on repairing the ceiling in the Sanctuary.  This is due to some cracks and falling plaster and the Board of Managers determined that this repair work needed to be done sooner rather than later. 

As a result of this work, we will be worshiping in the Fellowship Hall on Sunday February 16th. 

Yours in Christ, Emma.

Let's Talk day

On January 28th, Bell Canada sponsors "Let's Talk" day. This is a national campaign to help raise awareness about mental health and to end the stigma attached to it. I have both family and friends who have suffered from mental health issues and I believe that it is important for us to be open about this. We do not help anyone by keeping silent about these diseases and conditions.

There is a stigma in our society about people with mental health issues and that stigma extends into the church. Jesus teaches us that all are welcome in the kingdom of God and we need to remember that Great Physician came to heal all those who are sick whether that is in body, mind, or soul. (Mark 2:17) Our call is to be welcoming to all people just as Jesus reached out to us. 

But what does this type of welcome look like? As I have been reading about how the church has dealt with mental health issues, I am saddened to learn that we have not followed Jesus’ teaching in many ways.  While there is no catchy phrase or slogan that captures how to deal with such complex issues in our congregations, we can certainly start by looking at how Jesus dealt with others. 

Jesus was compassionate and welcoming.  He also wept and grieved.  Jesus accepted people for who they were and loved them deeply.

We can at least start there...

Yours in Christ, Emma.

For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

6 months and counting...

Today marks the 6 month anniversary of my induction at Knox Presbyterian Church in Burlington and what a ride it’s been!  I feel blessed in so many ways and praise God for calling me to this place! 

By the numbers, I have…

·        Lead 28 worship services (including 2 on Christmas Eve)

·        Officiated at 9 funerals for members of the congregation

·        Welcomed 3 new members

·        Conducted 2 baptisms

·        And…attended lots of meetings!!

But ministry isn’t about numbers.  It’s about growing in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ and learning to listen for his Spirit in our lives.  It’s about building relationships with others and growing together as a community of faith.  It’s about sharing the joy that only God can give.

I have learned so much in the past 6 months and I know that I have so much more to learn.  And maybe – just maybe - a few of you have learned something from me. 

As we continue to grow together, it is my hope and prayer that we will be open to follow God wherever he calls us to go.   

Yours in Christ, Emma.

While physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way,

holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

1 Timothy 4:8