In Canada this is the "find out who has a cottage/camp" for congregations with low attendance and a reminder of things to come for the next four to five months. Summer used to be July and August in most mainline congregations but now it stretches from this holiday weekend until the Sunday after Thanksgiving in October.
This is the Victoria Day Weekend, a national holiday honouring a British monarch from the 19th century -- go figure. A lot of people get in touch with their inner hoser on what is sometimes called the Two-Four Weekend, a reference to the case of beer which will be a staple at many gatherings.
We will attend worship in the congregation pastored by our son with people who were among the first to meet him when he was born in Newfoundland. I served a five-point pastoral charge of outport congregations and Isaac was born in Gander. We loved the rugged beauty of the province and have revisited Newfoundland and these folk many times. One of the daughters of the family was a "tween" at the time and is now a United Church minister in Ontario.
Wherever we have lived we have enjoyed the gifts of Creation even though I also served downtown congregations in urban centres such as Sudbury and Halifax. Through the decades we've noticed that Canadians yearn for the outdoor experience on weekends such as these, yet insist on bringing urban/suburban life with them, as much as possible. This includes an impressive array of noise-making machines, including personal water craft and portable music. In many parks these are being curtailed or banned, and on this weekend alcohol is prohibited because people do goofy things when they over-imbibe.
After worship today we'll head to Sandbanks Provincial Park for a picnic with family and these friends. Will it be a religious experience? I know I'll be grateful to God, once again, for the remarkable gift of this extraordinary country, from sea to sea to sea.
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