Time for a Canadian Arbo(u)r Day?

 

It's not often that I envy the United States of America, especially in the current chaotic climate, although the Grand Canyon is very cool, not to mention the sequoias. And I'm sure that I've never said a positive word about the late, not-so-great President Richard Nixon. Yet today I wish Canada had an Arbor Day, a day to be mindful of trees and to plant them. It was proposed  by a journalist in Nebraska in 1872 as a project to plant trees in that state. Fast forward nearly a century to 1970, the first year of Earth Day, when Nixon established the last Friday of April as Arbor Day. Well done Tricky Dick. 

You'll know by now that I have something of a trees, trees, trees outlook. We have planted ten or so on our suburban lot where there were already a fair number and we don't really have room for more. Watching them grow during the past eleven years in this spot has been satisfying.

At the beginning of this April Earth Month I led worship at Trenton United and during the tree-themed service I noted the hundreds of references to trees in the bible. Something of my enthusiasm must have rubbed off because there are now plans afoot to plant shrubs and trees around the church, including a burning bush (how  biblical!) and a lilac.  TUC folk are doers, God/Creator bless them. 

Here's the question: would we need to add the "u" and  call it Arbour Day if we established one in Canada? It would be a worthwhile way to conclude Earth Month each year. 

Finding our Way in Grief

 

From “Empty and Me: A Tale of Friendship and Loss,” by Azam Mahdavi. 

Illustrated by Maryam Tahmasebi. Translated by Parisa Saranj.

A couple of months ago our son, Isaac, pastor of Trenton United Church, asked if I would lead a session or sessions on grief. I wasn't sure if I was the right person to ask. Yes, I have experienced loss and sorrow on a personal level. And in my role as a UCC minister for nearly four decades I presided at somewhere between 450 funerals and memorial services, everyone from preemie babies to centenarians. Many of those occasions  were for people I knew well, along with members of their families. I have certainly seen grief in many manfestations, everything from stoicism to emotional expression of biblical proportions.

 While I did lots of "celebrations of life" I was always mindful that grief is real and must be acknowledged and that the service is just one aspect of the process of mourning and grieving. I always wanted to uphold our resurrection hope in Christ but not at the expense of denying the profound sense of loss.

Preparing has taken me on an interesting path and the resources that have come my way have been downright providential. 

We begin three sessions this evening and here is the outline we've shared, for what it's worth. I'll see who shows up!

Finding Our Way in Grief – Study and Discussion Group

Is it okay for Christians to grieve, given our Easter hope? Of course it is!

We all feel loss, regardless of our age, our circumstances, and our religious convictions.

Join us for three Thursday evening sessions (6:30 - 8:00) to explore and discuss together how we grapple with grief.

Week 1 – April 25 – You Are Not Alone – grief is unique for each person, there are no universal expectations nor clearly defined stages. Our grief often comes back to visit, unbidden.

So how do we navigate our personal losses in ways which allow us to move forward, realizing that "one size does not fit all?"

Week 2 May 2 – We Are Not Alone – the ways in which our society grieves collectively are changing, rapidly.

What does that mean for our communities of faith, once the focal point for grieving together? How do we mourn the loss of our congregational friends?

Week 3 May 9 – The End Comes For Everyone – we will engage in dialogue with local funeral directors about the practicalities of funerals, memorials services, and the growing number of alternatives for farewell and burial.

Join us for these sessions and maybe bring along someone who is finding his or her way in grief.

World Good Book Day?

 

Yesterday was World Book Day, an opportunity for bibliophiles everywhere to celebrate the everyday miracle of the printed and now spoken word. Books come in so many forms, including audio and Braille for those who are vision-impaired. I'll admit to having a large print edition show up as a library request and enjoying the format in my dotage. I am still an avid reader despite of actual books despite my screen addled brain. I enjoy fiction and non-fiction from different cultures. We're happy that our four grandchildren get lost in books with pages that turn. 

That term "bibliophile" to describe book lovers sounds a lot like "bible" and the root for both is the Greek "biblio." The Christian bible is actually 66 books in the two testaments and the apocrypha adds some more. Often described as the Good Book the bible is a magnificent jumble of myth, history, prophecy, liturgical resources, poetry, historical accounts, letters, apocalyptic writings, and what we call gospels. 

There are plenty of critics who would take away the term "magnificent" and condemn it as a big mess during more harm than good, and we can understand why. Some Christian communities claim they take a literal approach to the bible which usually means that they figure everybody should adhere to their interpretation. Too often scripture is used as a weapon rather than an invitation to the wild and wonderful world of God's steadfast love through time. 

Not long ago a family member attempted to use the genocidal final scene from the book of Esther as a justification for Israel's aggression in Gaza and we were aghast. Esther is a small book in the Hebrew scriptures that doesn't mention God once, nor the covenant, nor does the story take place in Israel. This sort of proof-texting dishonours God and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Using the bible or any religious text to justify violence or marginalize others is sinful and shameful.  

Just the same, the bible is the Good Book for me, and I continue to learn and grow as I explore this sweeping collection. Is it inspired by God? I would say an emphatic "yes" and I want to continue to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to my heart and mind as I humbly open the Word on my own and with others. 

The Uncertainty of Passover 2024

This is the first day of the Jewish Pesach or Passover for 2024. Because Passover, like Easter, is tied to the full moon the dates vary from year to year and many years this Jewish festival coincides with Holy Week in the Christian calendar. Last year we were in Israel when Passover, Holy Week and Ramadan overlapped. Tonight is the full moon for Passover so the observance begins a month after Holy Week this year.

A lot has been written about how fraught and uncertain this Passover is compared to others in recent memory. The Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel in October of last year resulted in 1200 deaths and the taking of prisoners. More than 100 are still held hostage and Jews around the world are asking how they can celebrate the historic freedom from bondage when these people are still captive. Some Jewish groups are urging families to set a place at the table to honour those who are still in bondage. 

Other Jews have expressed their ambivalence because of the war in Gaza during which tens of thousands of Palestinians have died. What about their lives and liberation? 

Many Jews are anxious and fearful because of the rise of anti-Semitism in places far from Israel/Gaza, including here in Canada. Are they at risk as they gather to celebrate Passover, in their homes and synagogues and schools? This resonates with persecution of Jews through the centuries, often around Holy Week and Passover. 

I'm grateful that the United Church of Canada has expressed good wishes to the Jewish community as Passover commences. Christian communities everywhere need to decry anti-Jewish sentiment and hate speech. Jesus was a Jew who celebrated Passover as his last meal with his disciples.

This is not at odds with the UCC calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and the end of violence in the West Bank. Our commitment is to peace everywhere in the world as followers of Jesus, the Risen Christ. 

I do wish Chag Pesach Sameach to Jewish friends and the world-wide Jewish community.

Earth Day for the Love of Creation

 

 But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look[a] into the tomb, and she saw two angels in white sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet.  They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”  When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,“Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). 

                      John 20:11-16 NRSVue

As comes the breath of spring with light and mirth and song,

so does your Spirit bring new days brave, free, and strong.

You come with thrill of life to chase hence winter's breath,

to hush to peace the strife of sin that ends in death.

                       Voices United 373 vs 1

Happy Earth Day! Happy? Really? In the midst of the gloomy news? 

 It is so tempting to downplay the celebratory aspect of this annual recognition of our planetary home, often termed Turtle Island by Indigenous peoples. Humans have made a mess of Earth in many ways and recent reports tell us of the decline in bird species, the bleaching of the Great Barrier Reef, and the omnipresence of plastics. The first scientific reports of greenhouse gases and global heating were published in the mid-19th century yet nearly 200 years later we are still in willful denial, with our Canadian government actually subsidizing  fossil fuel corporations and building pipelines with taxpayer money. 

And yet... there are many voices shouting in the wilderness, inviting us to change our destructive ways. And as Christians we can connect the Risen Christ, mistaken by Mary as a gardener with the still abundant diversity of Creation if we're willing to look and listen. 

We are not hope-less and it is important that we spend time in Creation, as created beings to truly appreciate being Groundlings. formed of the earth. 

Somehow Ruth has agreed to bundle up and go for a paddle on what is literally a frosty morning in our part of Ontario. She indulges my insanity with grace and is the best possible companion for outdoor forays. Even on suspect days our spirits are lifted by venturing outside and each season offers its gifts. I do love the promise of Spring and the miraculous emergence of creatures that tucked themselves away against the cold or made their way to warmer climes for a few months. 

As I have mentioned, regularly, we almost always pause for a few moments to give thanks for Creator and Creation, an act of humility and praise. I intend to be happy on this Earth Day, although you might say a prayer for our extremities as we paddle this morning!

Our United Church Moderator, Carmen Landsdowne, has asked congregations from sea to sea to sea to recognize this as Earth Week and acknowledge the love of Creation. Here is her invitation and a link to UCC resources. 

Walking in Creation, I am filled with a love for all that surrounds me.... This abundant life is hurt and threatened by our greenhouse gas emissions and consequent warming of the planet. Livelihoods around the world are being disrupted. We need to summon a fierce love and act together. During Earth Week, April 21‒28, let’s show up For the Love of Creation. 

Moderator the Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne

https://united-church.ca/news/together-love-creation-earth-week-2024#:~:text=We%20need%20to%20summon%20a,For%20the%20Love%20of%20Creation.&text=During%20Earth%20Week%202024%2C%20The,opens%20in%20a%20new%20tab)%20.

Sea Spray, Winds of God, &...Plastics?

I feel the winds of God today; today my sail I lift,

though heavy oft with drenching spray  and torn with many a rift;

if hope but light the water's crest, and Christ my bark will use,

I'll seek the seas at his behest, and brave another cruise.

Voices United 625 vs 1

The floods have lifted up, O Lord,
    the floods have lifted up their voice;
    the floods lift up their roaring.
4 More majestic than the thunders of mighty waters,
    more majestic than the waves of the sea,
    majestic on high is the Lord!

Psalm 93: 4-5 NRSVue

This will be an unusual year for us as we embark on two trips within Canada, one to the west and the other to the east. We will be visiting Haida Gwaii the archipelago off the coast of British Columbia and then later in the summer, Change Islands, adjacent to Fogo Island in Newfoundland. We've been to Change Islands often and our elderly neighbour is bemused by our predeliction for heading out on windy and stormy days for the thrill of big waves and salt spray. 

It was a jolt to read this week that the aerosol "forever chemicals" from plastics in sea spray could be as toxic as industrial air pollution. While we would like to believe that these remote locations wouldn't be affected in the same way as other parts of the world this might be a delusion.

                                                                             Ruth in Iceland 

Plastics are now everywhere, including our arteries and it shouldn't be a shock or surprise. Half of all the plastic ever produced have been created in the last fifteen years. This addiction to plastics in every aspect of our lives threatens to overwhelm us. 

This year the Earth Day (tomorrow) theme is Planet vs Plastics with a call to reduce the production of plastics by 60 % and by 2040. This seems hugely ambitious yet vital for the wellbeing of all living creatures. 

One of my favourite hymns, I Feel the Winds of God Today, invokes the exhilaration of the voyage of faith in Christ. On this Earth Sunday the journey to eliminate plastics doesn't have quite the same cachet yet it can be the Creator's call for this moment. 

MLK, Going Deeper

 

Some of you may recall a blog from at least a year ago about the acclaimed biography of Martin Luther King Jr., King: A Life  written by Jonathan Eig. There have been many but Eig's is the first after FBI suveillance documents were released. MLK was hated by FBI director J. Edgar Hoover who didn't everything possible to discredit King, including fabricating "evidence" of his associations with communists.

It has taken me all this time to finish the book, all 550 pages of it. I am not a slow reader and the writing is superb and insightful but the next library book I put on reserve would come available and Eig's volume would gather dust for a while.

I came to the end with a profound sadness about King, not just because he was killed at the age of 39 leaving behind a wife and four children. Despite plenty of resistance and constant death threats MLK was an admired man around the time of the March on Washington and his Nobel Peace Prize. Civil Rights and Voters Rights became accepted and supported national causes by the majority of Americans. 

Martin came to realize that The Viet Nam War was killing a disproportionate number of Black men and diverting billions from addressing poverty. When he began speaking out against the war even those closest to him advised against it and his patriotism was questioned in media that had once supported him. He went from being near the top of lists of admired American leaders to 40% popularity in polls. There was a growing tide of rejection amongst Blacks as well as many grew weary of the notion of non-violent change through the Civil Rights movement.  

As the years went by Martin was hospitalized a number of times for exhaustion and depression, although efforts were made to hide this. President Lyndon Johnson had been a somewhat reluctant ally but turned against MLK when be became vocal about the war. 

Near the end of his short life he longed to return to the pulpit even though he had plenty of opportunities to speak, often several times a day at rallies. He needed to cease from being an icon and return to being a pastor and person. 

I would highly recommend this biography for lots of reasons but it is a cautionary tale about our heroes and martyrs. In a time when King is often mined for soundbite phrases, even by those on the political right, understanding him for his courage and vision is important.