A Global Home of Harmony and Love?

 I'd like to build the world a home

And furnish it with love
Grow apple trees and honey bees
And snow white turtle doves

I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony
I'd like to hold it in my arms
And keep it company

I'd like to see the world for once
All standing hand in hand
And hear them echo through the hills
For peace through out the land
(That's the song I hear)

I'd like to teach the world to sing
In perfect harmony

I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (In Perfect Harmony) The New Seekers

I could have written a blog entry yesterday -- lots of ideas and time -- but the world has seemed so bleak as we limp toward the end to 2023 I just couldn't muster the energy. Would I feel any more motivated on the final day of the year?  During the night I was awake and for no good reason I thought of the song, with lyrics above, that I knew as a television commercial to sell Coca Cola in my teen years. 

In 1971 the commercial aired with young people from many countries standing on a hilltop singing a utopian song about a better world -- with Coke, of course. It cost $250.000 to make and at the time it was the most expensive ad ever made. It was clevery promoted by the company on radio and a group, The New Seekers, recorded it without the promotion of the product and it became a hit. 

The lyrics are even more sugary than the drink but somehow they surfaced for me in the wee hours. Maybe my gloom-worn brain was conjuring up a symbol of something better than this moment. In 1971 the Vietnam War was grinding on and a few months before students had been shot and killed at Kent State University during a protest. Those were dark days as well. 

My hope for all of you is that there will be an abiding sense of God's love and harmony as we find our way into 2024. That may sound naive, yet the Christ story is astonishingly improbable and somehow surmounts pain and loss to be the source of joy and meaning. 

I wondered if I would awaken and be unable to recall I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing. I think I would prefer this hymn which owes a lot to Revelation 21. 

Happy New Year!

I see a new heaven, I see a new earth 

                     as the old one will pass away,

where the fountain of life flows and without price goes

              to all people who abide in the land.

1 There, there on the banks of a river bright and free,

yielding her fruit, firm in her root,

the Tree of Life will be.  R

2 There, there where death dies and our lives are born again,

body and soul, struggling but whole

like flowers after the rain.  R

3 There, there where the darkness brings visions from above.

There where the night, bearing new light,

reveals the promise of love.  R

4 There, there where we work with the love of

healing hands.

Labour we must, true to our trust

to build a promised new land.

                                 Voices United 713

A Prayer for Innocent Children

                                        Massacre of the Innocents  (after Rubens) --Stephan Hepner

 When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi,he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi. Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice was heard in Ramah,
    wailing and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
    she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.”

                                      Matthew 2:16-18 NRSVue

In Matthew's gospel there is this curious, disturbing three verse note about paranoid, psychopathic King Herod killing Jewish children because the Magi let him know that their astrological/astronomical explorations led them to a child born in Bethlehem. Why don't the other gospels mention this? Why isn't there some historical record of this genocide? It's there though. as an unsettling reminder that not even innocent children are safe from violence. Just before this Joseph had been warned to flee for Egypt, turning the family with a young child into refugees. 

Yesterday was The Feast of the Holy Innocents which isn't exactly a jolly Christmas season occasion. It's a challenge to find a contemporary art piece about this massacre. Who wants to take on this subject. Christian activist Shane Claiborne posted about the "holy innocents" yesterday with a reference to the death of thousands of children in Gaza during the past two months.  

We can remember all children who become pawns of those in power and pray for mercy.

Shane Claiborne

@ShaneClaiborne

·

16m

Today Christians around the world remember the “Holy Innocents” - the children massacred by King Herod as Jesus was born. I just keep thinking of Gaza. May we never become numb to the killing of children. Ceasefire now.

Looking Back to Radical Hospitality for Refugees

                                           Refugees in Revival Tabernacle Church, Summer of 2023

...for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’

                                         Matthew 25: 35-36 NRSVue

We heard one of those 'significant stories of the year" pieces on CBC Radio this morning. This one was about the crisis of accommodation for refugees in Toronto during the summer when many of the newcomers were camped in tents in front of the offices which were supposed to support them. 

This story focussed on a woman from Uganda who fled because of LGBTQ2S persecution there. She was taken in by a female pastor from one of the Black congregations in the city that ended up sheltering hundreds of these refugees who had come from African nations. In this case, the pastor and her family welcomed this woman and a number of others who slept on the living room floor of their apartment. 

This demonstration of Christian hospitality was touching and even more so because the pastor is with an evangelical congregation that sees homosexuality as a sin. Yet when she was interviewed she stated that for her the gospel is love and these were persons, loved by God, who needed her support. She even told the refugee woman about the Pride Parade and got her there to help her understand that she would be safe in Canada.

Uganda has passed harsh anti-LGBTQ2S legislation which could result in imprisonment or the death penalty. What is so difficult to comprehend is that this is endorsed by many church leaders in the country. There are also evangelical groups from the United States who have provided financial support to anti-gay churches even though they are essentially supporting persecution. It's a terrible reality which has resulted in people fleeing the country and sickeningly ant-gospel. 

Eventually these Toronto churches were unable to continue housing the refugees but they were moved to other shelters rather than put back onto the streets.  I'm grateful for the pastor whose voice we heard today and the practical ministry of Christ's love by her congregation. The CBC piece reminded me of the importance of prayer for the LGBTQ2S community of Uganda. 

Las Posadas & a Migrant Caravan

Have you heard of Las Posadas? It is an Advent festival celebrated in Mexico, which can be translated as "The Inns." It takes place during the nine days prior to Christmas and it's really an outdoor parade. An angel leads a procession through the town with children dressed in glittery robes carrying candles. They may carry images of Joseph and Mary riding a donkey on their way to Bethlehem, or older children portray the holy couple. Musicians see them along their way and they stop at various homes where they are refused lodging, in keeping of the "no room in the inn" story. The householders may provide refreshments while carols are sung and scripture is read.

 Sudbury, Ontario may not seem to be a likely place for a Mexican festival but while I served there in the 1990s our music director pulled off a musical extravaganza with our junior choirs and large Sunday school which was a version of Las Posadas. It was really well done and while it was upbeat there was a social justice flavour, reminding us of those who are left out or rejected in our society. If I remember correctly there was a pinata to top things off. 

Migrants walk in a caravan, some of them holding a banner reading 'Exodus from Poverty', as an attempt to reach the U.S. border, in Huixtla, Mexico December 26, 2023. 

This event came to mind when I heard today about a meeting which will take place today involving American and Mexican officials in yet another attempt to address the crisis of migrants at the US border. Up to 10,000 migrants arrive every day after ardous journeys from Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Guatemala. There are even asylum seekers from Africa and Asia who somehow make their way to those countries then begin a journey which can take months, only to be turned away at the US border. 

According to a Reuters report: 

Migrants and asylum seekers transit through Mexico to the U.S. to escape violence, economic distress and negative impacts of climate change, according the United Nations. The number crossing the perilous  Darien Gap straddling Colombia and Central America has topped half a million this year, double last year's record. 

This is a huge political issue in the United States and the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump (how can this be!) has been ramping up his xenophobic language at rallies.Members of groups which respond to migrants, including Christian organizations, are being prosecuted. 

Today's meeting has been sparked by yet another large caravan moving through Mexico. Making the connection between the plight of these desperate people and the story of Mary and Joseph is meaningful. They too are loved by God and somehow there needs to be room in the inn. 

                                                                          Migrant Corridor 

The Cold Comfort of the Last Full Moon 0f 2023

 

1 'Twas in the moon of wintertime,when all the birds had fled,

that mighty Gitchi Manitou sent angel choirs instead;

before their light the stars grew dim, 

and wandering hunters heard the hymn:

Jesus your King is born,

Jesus is born, in excelsis gloria.

Last evening our final guests departed after what were four busy and lovely days of Christmas in our household (more in the horizon this week!) Before we retreated to the house and climbed wearily up to bed we turned our gazes upward to the "moon of wintertime." Given that the past few days were marked by fog, fog, and more fog, the briefly clearing sky was a gfit. I think that 7 PM today is the actual full moon for December but it certainly appeared full last night. 

For many of us as Canadians the Huron Carol is a favourite of the season with an Indigenous flavour to it and a haunting tune. It is likely our oldest Canadian carol, probably written in 1642 by  Jesuit mIssionary Jean de Brebeuf at Sainte-Marie among the Hurons in what is now Ontario. 

The reality is that the music is a French folk tune and the words we sing aren't very close to the original. I've noted before that while we lived in Sudbury I had a visit with Laurentian University professor John Steckley who was reconstructing the long-defunct Wendat-Huron language. His translation of the carol is below.

Looking to the distant, not-so Cold Moon last night was comforting somehow, in this time of uncertainty and turmoil on planet Earth. So many other carols in this season of the birth of Christ invite us to consider heavenly hosts and a star of wonder. Why not include the moon in all its mysterious glory? 

Huron Carol

Have courage, you who are humans; Jesus, he is bornBehold, the spirit who had us as prisoners has fledDo not listen to it, as it corrupts the spirits of our mindsJesus, he is bornThey are spirits, sky people, coming with a message for usThey are coming to say, "Rejoice (Be on top of life)"Marie, she has just given birth. Rejoice"Jesus, he is born Three have left for such, those who are elders          Tichion, a star that has just appeared on the horizon leads them there He will seize the path, he who leads them there Jesus, he is bornAs they arrived there, where he was born, Jesusthe star was at the point of stopping, not far past itHaving found someone for them, he says, "Come here!"Jesus, he is bornBehold, they have arrived there and have seen Jesus,They praised (made a name) many times, sahying "Hurray, he is good in nature"They greeted him with reverence (greased his scalp many times), saying 'Hurray'Jesus, he is born"We will give to him praise for his name,Let us show reverence for him as he comes to be compassionate to us.It is providential that you love us and wish, 'I should adopt them.'"Jesus, he is born.
John Steckley translation 

The Hopes and Fears of this Christmas in Bethlehem

 

Christ in the Rubble Icon -- Kelly Latimore 

1 O little town of  Bethlehem,

how still we see thee lie!

Above thy deep and dreamless sleep

the silent stars go by;

yet in thy dark streets shineth

the everlasting light;

the hopes and fears of all the years

are met in thee tonight.

I've been almost paralyzed in knowing what to say in my blog for this Christmas morning. In Bethlehem, the Palestinian West Bank city where Jesus was born celebrations have been cancelled in solidarity with the people of Gaza and reports are that the streets have been all but empty for days. 

While I'm not inclined to politize today's blog entry I am reminded that God came into this world in human form during a time of occupation by the Roman Empire and that Jesus' family was in Bethlehem to fulfill a  census requirement. Mary and Joseph were far from the support of family and "couch surfing", if a manger could be considered furniture. 

The Lutheran pastor in Bethlehem has spoken of the 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza, the majority of them displaced from their homes and proper medical care, as being like Mary. During his Christmas Eve Mass Pope Francis spoke of the hearts of Christians being in Bethlehem. 

Can we offer Merry Christmas, or as the British are inclined to say, Happy Christmas? I am sorrowful this year, yet we've had the blessing of our three children and their families with us for the first time in several years. And the Christmas Eve service included the familiar carol, O Little Town of Bethlehem. So, I will offer the greeting tentatively, but as an affirmation because I do want to uphold the peace, hope, joy, and love which Jesus, the Risen Christ offers to the world. 

I hope for all of you a meaningful Christmas wherever you may be. Please take a moment to ponder the Kelly Latimore icon during this day. 

The End of a Northern Nativity?

   

No crowded eastern street, no sound of passing feet;

far to the left and far to right

the prairie snows spread fair and white;

yet still to us is born tonight

the child, the King of glory.

2 No rock-hewn place of peace shared with the gentle beasts, 

but sturdy farm house, stout and warm,

with stable, shed, and great red barn;

and still to us is born tonight

the child, the King of glory.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.

 “Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him. John 3: 16-17 NRSVue 

The long-suffering readers of my blog will know that I love the almost folk art paintings of the late William Kurelek, a Canadian artist who created meaningful images of the Christmas story in his Northern Nativity series. The complement to these paintings is my favourite Canadian carol, No Crowded Eastern Street, with words by Frieda Major (1958) later set to music (1970) by Robert Fleming. 

Both the paintings and the hymn offer ways to see and hear the story that are unique to our Canadian context. Except that in many respects they don't anymore. In my lifetime we've gone from a white Christmas to just dreaming of one. No matter what deniers and shovel-phobic people may say, the end of seasonal snow and cold is a clear sign of climate change, and I find it obvious. This past week marked a record low snow cover across our "land of the frozen North". It's as though we've set our vast nation to defrost. 

We'll be in church on this Christmas Eve but I got out early with family members for a bit of a ramble early on this morning. It was mild and snowless and the river we walked alongside was ice-free. I loved the outdoor time with those I love, and tried not to be overwhelmed with dread for our grandchildren. 

I wonder if the Kurelek paintings and the lovely carol should become icons or mantras for our resolve to honour the Creator, the God who loved the world so much that he/she/they joined us in it for the salvation of all that lives. 

The peace and courage of Christ be with us all, eh? 

3 No blaze of heavenly fire, no bright celestial choir,

only the starlight as of old,

crossed by the planes' flash, red and gold;

yet still to us is born tonight

the child, the King of glory.

4 No kings with gold and grain, no stately camel train:

yet in his presence all may stand

with loving heart and willing hand;

for still to us is born tonight.

Tent Cities & No Crib for a Bed

                                                         Panhandler Jesus -- Timothy Schmalz

 1 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,

the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head.

The stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay,

the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

Last Saturday the Globe and Mail included a multi-page article about homelessness, one of the lengthiest I've ever seen in the weekend newspaper which often offers long-form pieces on a variety of subjects. It was written by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall who was homeless years ago, somewhat by choice, and is his reflection on the current nation-wide crisis of precarious housing with a focus on Toronto, his home now, and Vancouver. 

He writes about the encampment which is cheek by jowl around Saint Stephen in-the-Fields Anglican church, only two blocks from where he now lives and not far from the daycare attended by his son a decade ago. Saint Stephen has been in the news a lot lately because the encampment, supported by the congregation, is actually on city property, a park, so it has been cleared more than once, in part because of safety reasons but also because our society is clueless about how to address the growing dilemma of tens of thousands of people who have no place to live. 

Even in places where some forms of housing are provided they are often so restrictive or dangerous that people would rather take their chances "sleeping rough", often in tent communities. Of course, they are too are dangerous and we hear more and more about fires and explosions (propane tanks). Residents perish from drug overdoses and from exposure. Life expectancy for the unhoused is roughly half that of the population as a whole.

It's been noted that while this seems like a recent issue it has been steadily increasing over time, to which Bishop-Stall attests from personal experience. Today there is hardly a community of any size that isn't struggling with what to do about unhoused persons in their midst. Our community of Belleville in about 55,000 and there are many people who don't have adequate housing. Some of them pitch tents outside of the Bridge St. UC building, my former congregation, even though they regularly get moved along. 

Every few days I read about another community trying to figure this out, some of them much smaller than Belleville. Should they allow tent communities and provide toilets and other services? Should they build tiny house settlements? How can they expand affordable housing or shelter space? If we are bringing in a record number of refugees and immigrants, where will they live.  In Canada, a wealthy country by virtually any standard, we have as stark a contrast between rich and poor as we've since -- when?-- the end of World War 2? 

How do we look at this situation clearly and within compassion? How do we get past the publicly earnest blah, blah to make a difference. I'm weary of those who privately grouse about the inconvenience of navigating around those who just don't have a prayer. While I understand why people can't live permanently in public spaces there must be alternatives and military style evictions to nowhere are not acceptable. Often those who are turfed by force lose everything, including momentoes of their past. 

In the article he draws attention to the sculpture sometimes referred to as Panhandler Jesus, which is outside Saint Stephen. It is another arresting work by CanadianTimothy Schmalz and as with another of his sculptures, Homeless Jesus, there are nail prints in the hands as a reminder of the Crucified One (in the feet of Homeless Jesus). One of our daughters lives in Toronto and has passed Panhandler Jesus many times yet still has the jolt of seeing this person with hand extended.

In the article Bishop-Stall observes: 

Then, last December, Panhandler Jesus was thrown in jail. Or at least that’s how it looked. Somehow, overnight, a wrought-iron cage had been placed around him. 

As it turned out, this was an act of protest by the church and the artist against the criminalization of homelessness. And the statue’s imprisonment was meant to coincide with the arrival of a police-escorted work crew, along with one of those giant-clawed machines of excavation and demolition.

We put the image of Panhandler Jesus from the Globe on our fridge as a reminder of all those displaced and discarded people who have "no crib for a bed" in a stark, unsentimental way. I don't want to forget or become numbed to this tragedy, at Christmas or any time of the year. Jesus of manger and cross is there. 

A Gift to the LGBTQ2S+ Community from Pope Francis

 

                                                   Rev. James Martin blesses a same-gender couple

Pope Francis gave LGBTQ2S+ Roman Catholics an early, surprise Christmas gift this past week. The Vatican announced that same-gender couples could now be blessed by priests. The way I read it, this is definitely not permission for priests to perform marriages of LGBTQ couples,with marriage as one of the sacraments of the RC church. This will not even be a ceremony of same-gender union, which apparently would be too much like marriage. 

While this may seem like a slow-motion eye-roller when it comes to acceptance and blessing of same-gender relationships it is a big deal. Only a couple of years ago the Roman Catholic church made a "it ain't gonna happen" statement which seemed to belie comments made by Francis through the years of his papacy. This decision caught many by surprise and I think I can hear the howls of conversative RCs who have supported the infallibility of previous popes because it suited them but are not fans of Francis. 

A New York Times piece suggests that this has come about because Francis has listened to advocates for the LGBTQ2S+ community, including Father James Martin, a fellow Jesuit who commented "like anyone, he learns from listening". While I appreciate Rev Martin's ongoing conversations with Francis, the truth is that a lot of Christians of every background have selective deafness, so the willingness of the pope to compassionately hear those whose desire is be accepted within the church they love is impressive. I would like to think that the Holy Spirit has been at work in the heart and mind of the 87-year-old Francis.

Is this decision simply not good enough? More of a lump of coal than a true gift? 

As some of you know, I was at the General Council of the United Church in 1992 and was a part of the working group which explored same-gender unions on behalf of the larger assembly. There was spirited debate on the floor of Council but in the end congregations were granted permission to make their own decisions about these unions, years before same-gender marriage was legalized in Canada. That was 31 years ago. Today, most United Church ministers will marry same-gender couples 

Still, every Christian communion must find its own way.  We can give thanks for this shift for the Roman Catholic church, along with the recent decisions by the Anglican communion in Great Britain. We can say prayers for those who resist change and for those who embrace it. Most of all, we can celebrate with those who may now feel that their loving relationships are blessed by the God of love. 

The Winter Solstice & Christ's Hope

 One: If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me become night

even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

All:       You are the light of the world; be light in our darkness, O Christ.

One : Blessed be you name, O God, forever.

You reveal deep and mysterious things;

You are light and in you is no darkness.

Our darkness is passing away,

already the true light is shining.

All: You are the light of the world; be light in our darkness, O Christ.

My graduating class from Emmanuel College in 1980 was about 40 souls, I think the largest before the steady decline in United Church seminaries across the country. This number meant that we tended to get to know a few of those classmates better than others for a variety of reasons. One guy, good-looking and athletic, was the quarterback for our touch football team which we dubbed The Converts (nuck, nuck). The two of us tossed the football around between games and talked. It turned out that he was probably the most "un-churched" candidate of the gang, but he was smart and felt a somewhat befuddled sense of call by God which became more focussed during the three years at seminary. 

After ordination he went to Cape Breton and I headed to Newfoundland and we largely lost touch for the better part of 40 years -- an auspicious biblical number. While serving his Cape Breton pastoral charge he met an American woman who was there on vacation and they decided to stay in touch. They fell in love, they decided to spend their lives together, and he moved to the States where he had a long career in chaplaincy for the aged.

Happy story, but three years ago I saw in some United Church forum that his wife had died and I found a way to reach out. She had developed dementia and entered into decline which resulted in her death. We have reestablished regular contact, including Zoom calls and it was been a pleasure. Except that his grief has been profound, and when I didn't hear from him for a while this Fall I reached out. It turned out that he had become deeply depressed to the point he checked himself into a hospital to address his mental pain and suicidal thoughts. I appreciated his honesty and encouraged him as best I could. I sent him a message this morning, 

This is a long-winded introduction to a reality of this time of year. For many it is painful to the point of being overwhelming and the relentless emphasis on joy and good cheer can have the opposite effect for some. Lots of congregation, including some I served, have offered services of worship on this day, the Winter Solstice, or close to it, to acknowledgment that sadness and grief are not signs of weakness but part of what life brings our way. Even though we may affirm God's love in the incarnation of Jesus, the Christ, when we love we will feel loss. And there has been so much bleak news this year on many fronts. 

Some congregations call them Blue Christmas services (sorry Elvis, I don't like that name) or Longest Night services. We called ours a Service of Healing and Hope. It may be that Christ-mass, the feast of the Birth of Christ, was tied to solstice celebrations.  

Even though we won't attend a worship service we were grateful this morning that the sun was shining and we got out for a solstice ramble along a river at a Conservation Area, and this was an opportunity to affirm life. 

Perhaps there is someone who would welcome a contact from you today as a way of sharing Christ's hope. 

                                                      Forest Festivities -- Jahna Vasht