Setting the Captives Free

 

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and release to the prisoners...

                       Isaiah 61:1 NRSVue

While we can all be grateful for the hostages exchanges between Hamas and the state of Israel we have to be aware that this is the outcome of a ceasefire, not a peace agreement. Hamas is a terrorist organization whose cowardly attacks precipitated a cataclysmic response by Israel that has killed thousands of civilians. There is blood on the hands of both sides, an indelible stain. So many of us have attempted to figure out where we stand during this war and for my part I can find no straightforward answer.

 It is all madness, but that's the was it is with wars, even the supposedly "just" ones. As an aging Christian who follows the Prince of Peace it becomes more difficult to establish justification for any of them. Combatants die, most of them young, and civilians are brutalized and killed. Culture is destroyed and so is the environment. 

The hostages released to Israel today are four young women who are soldiers in the IDF, the Israel Defence Forces. They were in observation posts along the border between Israel and Gaza and they, along with other female soldiers in that role, sensed that trouble was brewing but were ignored by their arrogant and dismissive superiors. As a result, many were killed and others held hostage for these 14 months. 

When we were in Jerusalem during April of 2023 Ruth asked four soldiers if she could have her photo taken with them and they happily replied. She has wondered what has happened to these women during the war, as with the teens in uniform we would see everywhere in the country, sometimes as check-points, sometimes sitting near them on trains.

God of many names, bring this senseless killing to an end and free the captives on both sides, including those imprisoned in Gaza as citizens whose daily life has been crushed. There will be joy in the families of these released women and those of the Palestinians set free. 

Bishop Takes King in America

 

Brilliant!

Bad, Bad Christian Art

 

Some of the greatest artwork in human history has been created for Christian churches and other places of faith. Often the artists didn't share the religious sensibilities of that faith (then again, it could be argued that certain popes didn't either) but they followed the money to create sublime images that have stood the test of time. There are plenty of contemporary artists who explore spiritual themes in evocative and provocative ways as well. 

During the second half of my ministry I was able to use art images within worship as congregations adopted projection for the service as a whole. In my final congregation there was a lovely elderly woman who was initially resistant to the notion of including art images during the sermon. She had been an art procurer for various institutions in Toronto as a profession and was dubious about what might be shown. Happily, my art history background won her over and we had some excellent conversations about the importance of art in her gorgeously adorned condo. 

Then there is the propaganda art that is the blight of religion, an unrivalled level of cheesiness that should be considered blasphemy. Since a fair amount of it has been produced for Sunday School use it could also be labelled as child abuse.Some of the stuff from my childhood was cheerfully racist. 

Relevant has come up with what they've called The Definitive Ranking of Bad Christian Art, and I've included a couple of the images above. It is really impressive, in a hideous way. They did choose not to include the many gag-worthy depictions of a certain convicted felon, no doubt because of the possible backlash against the publication.It is heart-warming to realize that Jesus was with him in the courtroom through the trial. 

Standing Tall in the Pulpit

 

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

7 ‘Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

11 ‘Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely^* on my account. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14 ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. ¹⁵No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 

from the Beatitudes in Jesus' SERMON on the Mount Matthew 5

Please indulge me as I use this blog as a "pulpit" to express some views this morning, although I hope I'm not a bully. 

It's fascinating to see and hear the response of people across America to the sermon preached by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde from the pulpit at the Washington National Cathedral. The inaugural prayer breakfast is a big deal with President Trump, VP Vance and a lot of others were on hand for this tradition where the deity or deities are invoked to provide guidance to the incoming administation.

 Bishop Budde prepared her message well in advance with three points but added a fourth after hearing Trump during his inauguration. The president stated that he was spared from an assassin's bullet by God so that he could achieve a higher purpose. There was a creepily messianic tone to his assertion but Budde diplomatically drew upon this to ask that Trump be merciful toward those who have been marginalized and persecuted. 

The reaction to this sermon, echoing the biblical prophets and Jesus, was mixed,to put it mildly. Thousands have voiced their support but Trump hated it -- the nasty woman should apologize -- while one congressman figures she should be deported (to New Jersey, where she was born?). Lots of conservative Christians woofed and fulminated that she wasn't a real preacher anyway because she is not male. 

This was the same pulpit from which Martin Luther King Jr. preached shortly before his death,  a pointed message that was not well received. Pulpits have always been both practical (preachers are more visible and can project the voice better) and symbols of a divine  authority beyond that of the preacher. The early Protestants (following the original Martin Luther) went in for elevated pulpits for sermons rather than messages or homilies from behind the altar, usually the custom of Roman Catholics. 

                      Martin Luther King's Last Sunday Sermon, Wash. Nat. Cathedral, March 31, 1968

I've stood behind plenty of pulpits including the one in  St. Andrew's, Sudbury, that had the carved inscription facing the preacher "Sir, we would see Jesus" (John 12:21) It was from the King James Version, no less! I should note that as the years went on I still used the pulpit during worship but regularly departed from it to preach closer to the congregation. Preaching is an honour and humbling and to my mind should always be biblical, even if the message must be unsettling. 

President Trump criticized Bishop Budde for being political, a laughable comment given that thousands of sermons have been preached extolling Trump from podiums and pulpits of churches on the religious right. Faith is always political, although preachers should refrain from partisan politics.

 Preaching the truth isn't always well received. Jesus was deemed a threat by a political regime and executed for a message that was interpreted as seditious rather than Good News. 

Karl Barth, the German/American who was one of the greatest theologians of the 21st century said:

Take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” (Time Magazine, May 1, 1966.)

It's also been suggested that preaching should "comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable." Isn't that what Bishop Budde was about? I'm confident that she doesn't have a messiah complex, so let's pray for her safety. A reminder of her call for compassion: 

I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared. There are gay, lesbian, transgender children, Democratic, Republican, independent families — some who fear for their lives...“The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings, who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking plants, who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals — they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. 

Amen! Preach!

The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
    because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
    to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
    and release to the prisoners,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
    and the day of vengeance of our God,
    to comfort all who mourn...

From Isaiah 61, one of today's lectionary readings (NRSVue)

                                                                            I Couldn't Resist

\

Bishop Budde Speaking Truth to Power

                                          

                                                      Bishop Mariann Budde and...

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,

    and your dominion endures throughout all generations.

The Lord is faithful in all his words  and gracious in all his deeds.
 The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down.
 The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season.
 You open your hand, satisfying the desire of every living thing.
 The Lord is just in all his ways and kind in all his doings.
 The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.

                              Psalm 145: 13-18 NRSVue

Thank God for Episcopal bishop, Mariann Budde. You might remember Budde from her denunciation of President Trump during his first term when he used an Episcopalian centre near the White House as the backdrop for a bizarre moment of theatre During the George Floyd protest Trump had portesters tear-gassed and removed from Lafayette Square, then walked to the centre, surrounded by the military. There he held a bible (upside down it would appear). Budde and other religious leaders were quick to speak out against this unannounced event and the blasphemous use of scripture as a prop for violence.  

Yesterday there was a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral with President Trump in attendance. There were speakers from more than a dozen religious traditions during the interfaith service, including those from Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist and Hindu traditions, although no evangelicals. 

Budde, the bishop of Washington, appealed to Trump's better nature and the dignity of his role, well aware that these don't exist. Here is an excerpt from the Washington Post report of the prayer service: 

At the inaugural prayer service, the Right Rev. Mariann Budde, the Episcopal bishop of Washington, made a direct appeal to President Donald Trump to have mercy on the LGBTQ+ community and undocumented migrant workers. 

Referencing Trump’s belief that he was saved by God from assassination, Budde said, “You have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now.” 

The Trump administration has already issued executive orders rolling back transgender rights and toughening immigration policies. When he returned to the White House, Trump was asked about the sermon.

“Not too exciting, was it?” the president said as he walked with staff toward the Oval Office. “I didn’t think it was a good service. They could do much better.”

I so admire Budde's courage in "speaking truth to power", choosing to be a prophetic and unpopular voice (as with other prophets) knowing that the president would not be amused. 

Early this morning Trump posted on Truth Social, his untruthful "newspeak" platform calling her a "radical left hard line Trump hater...who is not very good at her job." “She brought her church into the World of politics in a very ungracious way." I commented to Ruth yesterday that he would probably label her as nasty, a term he regularly aims toward women who are not manikins or syncophants, misogynist that he is. Sure enough, he added "She was nasty in tone, and not compelling or smart...”

How did Bishop Budde refrain from whacking the convicted crook with her crook of office?

The psalm portion for yesterday was from Psalm 145 which includes the verses above. Those who have ears to hear, let them hear, Jesus said. 

Notre Dame & Birds of the Air

                                     Notre Dame Cathedral -- Common Kestrel (also found in Canada)

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! 

My soul longs, indeed it faints, for the courts of the Lord;

 my heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself

where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God

Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah

                        Psalm 83: 1-4 NRSVue 

Here is more positive news related to the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. It hadn't occurred to me that this historic place of worship was home to birds and other species but it makes sense that they lived on, in, and around such a vast structure and that their habitat was destroyed by the fire of 2019. Enter BirdLife International and their partner La Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseauz (LPO.) 

In a time when there is so much gloomy news about the loss of habitat and biodiversity, world-wide, this is a good news and Good News story. After all, Jesus asked us to consider the birds of the air and flowers of the fields to counteract anxiety, so let's take it as gospel.

How wonderful that amidst the formidable challenge of restoration the "dwelling place" for creatures other than human was given respectful consideration. And if the lectern in the sanctuary can feature the eagle, symbol of St. John, along with a rooster atop the rebuilt spire, why not honour living birds? 

Another delightful tidbit about the cathedral restoration is that the "forest" of trusses was created from oak trees harvested from across France. These oaks were planted by jays who bury -- "squirrel away?" -- up to two billion acorns each year for food. Happily, lots of those acorns germinate and reforest the country. 

Here is a description of the creature-friendly endeavour at Notre Dame:  

An urban wildlife sanctuary

More than just a cathedral, Notre-Dame de Paris is an urban ecosystem. Its towering structure and countless hidden crevices offer a sanctuary to species that have adapted to the challenges of city life. The façade’s original openings, designed in the Middle Ages to accommodate construction beams, have become essential nesting sites for birds.

As Paris modernised, the cathedral became an important refuge, as other nesting and wildlife sites in the city diminished. The most common residents of the area include the Common Kestrel (Falco Tinnunculus) whose population across Paris has dwindled to fewer than 30 pairs and the House Sparrows (Passer domesticus), whose numbers plummeted by 75% in just two decades. But you can also find pipistrelle bats, a species of tiny, insectivorous bats.

The devastating fire on April 15, 2019, which destroyed a significant part of the cathedral, drove away much of the wildlife that had long inhabited its surroundings.

Fortunately, LPO was committed to ensuring Notre-Dame once again became a sanctuary for city wildlife. Since 2022, the organization has been working closely with the teams responsible for rebuilding Notre-Dame, integrating ecological considerations into the restoration efforts.

This collaboration included technical assessments to identify and evaluate potential nesting sites, along with proposals for habitat enhancements. Construction teams and artisans received training to recognise and protect wildlife during their work, while LPO naturalists conduct regular inventories of the species present on the site. Additionally, the Paris municipal government expressed its intention to designate the squares surrounding the cathedral as LPO Refuges, which is the largest network of in France. Thanks to six years of hard work with the LPO, the restoration has been carried out in a way that preserves access for birds and bats. Victor Hugo’s cathedral birds can now finally return home.

The Dream & the Nightmare on MLK Day

 

This is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States, a national holiday established during the Reagan administration, although it took some time for all 50 states to implement it. Today I'm thinking about an event in Washington in August of 1963 where King, the Baptist minister and Civil Rights leader offered the keynote speech. It was carefully scripted and rather subdued until near the end when famous singer and friend Mahalia Jackson shouted from nearby on the podium "tell 'em about the dream, Martin!"While this is known as the "I Have a Dream" speech King had used this imagery in other rallies. Perhaps Jackson, who was involved in many of these gatherings, sensed that he needed to depart from the carefully prepared address  to stir the crowd of hundreds of thousands. 

MLK then found the cadence of his best oratory in the tradition of Black preaching and in his speech he used the oft-quoted: “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

While King was not a person of perfect character (who is?) he did exemplify devotion to a cause upholding the highest principles of equality and did so with tremendous courage and despite unrelenting resistance. We can't forget that not long before his murder in 1968 a Harris Poll conducted revealed that nearly 75% of Americans disapproved of King, in part because he opposed the Viet Nam War. 

Today is also the inauguration of a president who is a convicted felon and sexual offender who has offered a dystopian "I Have a Nightmare" vision for the United States. Sociopaths are not people of character, yet thousands will gather in Washington to pay this one homage. He clearly views himself as an emperor, surrounded by an oligarchy of billionaires, with millions of Americans enthused about a racist agenda which will expel migrants who are, for the most part, law-abiding and hard-working and have no interest in eating pets. 

As Canadians who will also be deeply affected by the isolationist plans of the emperor wannabe we need to find hope in the message and Christian witness of Martin Luther King today and consider what "character" means for us as we walk with Jesus. 

 Arm in arm, Martin Luther King, Jr., and his wife, Coretta Scott King, leading the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, March 1965.

Wedding Wine & Dry January

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.  When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what concern is that to me and to you? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”  

Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim.  He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So they took it. When the person in charge tasted the water that had become wine and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), that person called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.”  Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

John 2:1-11 NRSVue 

How is Dry January going for you? You are probably aware that this is the invitation for people to give up alcohol for the month and examine their relationship with alcohol. For some alcohol consumption is an addiction that has a load of negative consequences, affecting employment, relationships, and health. There is also encouragement for those who don't want to give up drinking entirely to choose Damp January, a mindful reduction in consumption. Of course, there are the wags who claim that for them Dry January means only drinking dry wines. 

During my years of ministry I had plenty of conversations with those who were dealing with secret and not-so-secret issues with drinking. Often they were attempting to extend the benefits of attending Alcoholics Anonymous, an organization whose chapters often meet in church basements and sometimes, ironically, more welcoming and less judgmental that the congregations that provide them space. 

                                                                           Joseph Matar

Speaking of irony, today's gospel lesson is about the story found only in John's gospel where Jesus turns water into wine to keep a wedding party lubricated. Jesus seems to get into a slightly testy exchange with his Mom who figures he can do something about the wine running out. She's right, because mothers are always right, aren't they? 

This is often described as Jesus' first miracle and a celebration of abundance, a foretaste of the abundant life in Christ. I've heard conservative Christians suggest that this wasn't a alcoholic beverage based on nothing more than their prohibitions on booze of any kind. We have relatives who are employees of the Southern Baptist denomination and drinking alcohol could be a firing offence. I suppose I observe Damp ________ (insert month here because I am a moderate drinker) but I've seen the damage alcohol does, as well as the pleasure it brings. 

Apparently Canadians are consuming less alcoholic beverages, even in bars and restaurants, exploring alternatives. It still seems that drinking and driving is a societal scourge. 

Now that the Surgeon General in the United States is saying that there should be warning labels on alcohol containers similar to those on cigarette containers, should there be a cautionary note inserted above this story of the Wedding at Cana? 

Do We Still Care About Christian Unity?

 R1: When Jesus arrived at Bethany, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Movement into the main body of the worship space begins 

R2: When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went and met him, while Mary stayed at home. 

R 3: Martha said to Jesus: Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that God will give you whatever you ask of him. 

A: Jesus said to her: Your brother will rise again.

 R1: Martha said to him: I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.

 A: Jesus said to her: I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. 

R2: Do you believe this? Pause 

R3: Do you believe this? Pause 

R1: Do you believe this? (John 11:17-26) Longer Pause

This is the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an annual event from the 18th to the 25th of January, at least in the Northern Hemisphere. This week of prayer began in 1908 and is sponsored by the World Council of Churches and includes an impressively wide range of involved denominations. At least it would if congregations participate. I can say from experience in ministerials that it is a hard sell with evangelical churches, although some poking and nudging brought folk on board in different communities. This year the gospel text is about the Raising of Lazarus and focusses on the question, Do you believe this? 

I must confess that I'm as disillusioned and cynical about Christian unity this year as at any time over the past few decades. The rise of Christian Nationalism south of the border and the support for Putin and the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Orthodox Church has poisoned my convictions about ecumenism. It's hard not to feel that these are people of another false religion, one based on power and hatred rather than the humble love of Jesus the Christ.What do we have in common? 

I see from the material provided for the week that there is an acknowledgment of the 1700th anniversary of the Nicene Creed, created during the first Christian Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea, near Constantinople is 325 CE. That gathering was fraught with division yet an enduring affirmation of faith was created. We took a quick look at the Nicene Creed during our Mapping Our Faith creed study group a couple of months ago. Here is a paragraph from the Week of Prayer background material: 

Disagreements had arisen among Christians in the previous decades, which sometimes degenerated into serious conflicts. These disputes were on matters as diverse as: the nature of Christ in relation to the Father; the question of a single date to celebrate Easter and its relationship with the Jewish Passover; opposition to theological opinions considered heretical; and how to re-integrate believers who had abandoned the faith during the persecutions in earlier years.

Hmm. I may have to reluctantly check my cynicism about what sure seems like heresy these days and just keep on praying. Do we believe this? 

 

A 2,000 Year-Old Prayer Room

                                                          Newly revealed Pompeii bath house

                                                             Bath house change room 

And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 

But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Matthew 6:5-6 NRSVue

Not long ago new tourist regulations were announced for Pompeii, a World Heritage Site in Italy that attracts 2.5 million visitors a year. It is a Roman town captured in time after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79AD entombed the community in  an pyroclastic flow, a fast-moving current of hot gas and volcanic matter. 

Pompeii has been a place of somewhat morbid fascination for centuries and excavations going house by house, street by street have revealed astonishing aspects of Roman architecture and daily live. When an exhibit of the figures of those caught in this natural disaster visited Toronto and Montreal in 2015/16 it drew more than 600,000 visitors (we went to Montreal). While these were plaster casts of the people who died, essentially the negative images of their figures, it was a solemn experience. 

Pompeii is in the news again as another recently excavated area is the subject of a documentary about a complex of buildings likely a villa owned by one wealthy person. Two skeletons were found in a room, one of a woman in her 30s who was well to do (well nourished, with jewellry) and that of someone who might have been a slave. They may have been seeking refuge from the cataclysm. 

                              A pair of gold and natural pearl earrings found close to the female skeleton

It all sounds amazing but I am really intrigued that one small area, a room painted blue, has been identified as a prayer room. There is no explanation of how the archeologists decided that this was the purpose -- were there indications on the walls? 

Lots of us have particular places inside and outdoors we find conducive for prayer and I tend to do so in my upstairs study, a quiet spot with a view out to two birch trees. When I was still in pastoral ministry I came in to the office fairly early to have some contemplative time and occasionally I actually put a "Prayer in Progress" sign on my door, although that didn't deter some people. 

According to the gospels Jesus took time apart for prayer, and if he needed to do so, why wouldn't we? In the Sermon on the Mount he gives some pointed instruction on personal prayer and contemplation and has harsh words for those who like to strut their prayer stuff, calling them hypocrites. 

While the residents of the villa in Pompeii likely worshipped Roman gods we can appreciate their devotion and take it to heart. two thousand years later. 

Re-Pigeoning our Christian Faith?

Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
 Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains;
    your judgments are like the great deep;
    you save humans and animals alike, O Lord.

 How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
    All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
 They feast on the abundance of your house,
    and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
 For with you is the fountain of life;
    in your light we see light.

 O continue your steadfast love to those who know you
    and your salvation to the upright of heart!

                                               Psalm 36:5-10 NRSVue 

This past Sunday the gospel passage told the story of the baptism of Jesus and wrapped up with a dove that descends from the heavens, a manifestation of the Holy Spirit. When I hear that story now the provocative little book When God Was a Bird: Christianity, Animism, and the Re-Enchantment of the World by Mark Wallace comes to mind. There is a heading in the first chapter, The Pigeon God, and with this a reminder that a dove by another name is a pigeon and that all the gospels give this account with the imagery of this rather common bird as God declares that He/She/They is well pleased with Jesus as Beloved Child. 

The daily psalm this morning offers verses from Psalm 36: 5-10 which celebrate the God of steadfast love (mentioned three times) who is present in the heavens and the earth and in all living things. God's salvation is for humans and creatures alike -- all of Creation. And do you notice that we are promised shelter beneath God's wings. 

As something of a bird nerd who delights in the flutter of a chickadees wings and the whoosh of wind through a swan's pinions this enchanted imagery speaks powerfully to me. In truth I figure that if humanity doesn't undergo a "back to the future" conversion, reconnecting and reclaiming a sense of the communion of saints that includes all living things we are in peril. I'm grateful for these scripture reminders and many more that tell this truth of God's steadfast, redeeming love if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. Shall we "re-pigeon" our Christian faith?!

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

                              Luke 3:21-22 NRSVue

                                       Peter Paul Rubens. Baptism of the Lord, oil on canvas, 1605.

Homelessness at a Tipping Point

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world, 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: 34-36 NRSVue

It has been cold enough in our part of southern Ontario that there is enough ice for skating on sites designated by the city that are along the Bay of Quinte. Ruth is a happy skater. It's also frosty enough that we've bundled up for our walks, complete with snow pants and heavier mittens because even a slight breeze can be bone-chilling. We love being outdoors, even in this weather, and we would be happy if it persisted for a few weeks. Winter should be winter. Amen. 

We can't imagine, though, having no option other than "living rough" in this weather, or being forced into a shelter or warming centre, perhaps couch-surfing with a friend. Yet we've learned through a recent survey by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario that this is the reality for at least 81,000 people in Ontario, a 25% increase since 2022. It may be a lot more because the unhoused or homeless are a challenge to count when they don't have a fixed address and tend to move around alot. According to a CBC piece: 

There are now 25 per cent more people living in shelters or on the streets compared to two years ago, the report found. AMO policy director Lindsay Jones said they knew the problem was widespread, but still found the total number of homeless people to be "staggering." 

"To put the numbers in context, that's about the same size as the city of Peterborough," she said in an interview."Imagine everyone in Peterborough being homeless or everybody in Sault Ste. Marie being homeless, that's the scale of what we're talking about."

To bring this even closer to home, the cities of Trenton and Belleville combined (not the regional municipalities) are between 85 and 90 thousand. 

When we ramble about locally we see tents and encampments in places they didn't exist when we moved here 11 1/2 years ago. There are regularly tents and shanties up against Bridge St. UC in downtown Belleville, something that was unimaginable until the pandemic hit. There are now about 1,400 encampments in and around communities across the province.

Municipalitiies are struggling to respond and feel that other levels of government are deaf to their requests for funding. Ontario premier Doug Ford's response is that these people should get jobs when the reality is that even those who have work can't find affordable housing. His government introduced legislation to impose fines of up to $10,000 on tresspassers who have nothing. It is so absurd it should be laughable but this seems to be the Dougie way.  

We can't turn away from what municipalities are claiming is a tipping point. This can't be "us and them" and we can't pretend we don't know -- just ask Jesus.