Irreverent, Holy Ravens in Earth Month

                                                                              Huxley the Raven 

Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. 

Luke 12: 24 NRSVue

Have you heard the story about Huxley the rescue raven and his loud sneeze?  Huxley has lived at the Good Caws Crow Rescue in Prince George, BC, for about 18 months and can mimic the obnoxious allergy sneeze of the owner so perfectly that her husband is confused at times, sure that she left the property. 

This situation came to mind as I read about ravens in Adam Nicholson's Bird School: A Beginner in the Wood. There is evidence of a relationship between ravens and humans going back thousands of years, a symbiotic relationship predating cats and dogs. They can be mouthy, aggressive, playful, mutually supportive, social, adaptable, and generally akin to humans in various ways. Nicholson contends that if we were birds we would be ravens. 

                                                               Raven and the First Men -- Bill Reid 

Indigenous peoples get this and the raven of myth is the trickster and central to creation stories. When we visited Haida Gwaii ravens and eagles were everywhere so its not surprising that they are the two principal clans. Southern Ontario is generally crow country but when we lived in Sudbury we heard and saw lots of ravens as we rambled about and they are marvelous flyers, perhaps most evident during mating season. I've actually read a book about the raven master and ravens of the Tower of London. 

The bible has some important ravens as well. Noah sends a raven forth from the ark after 40 days to survey the watery world. My personal letterhead, rarely used anymore, features an ark with a raven in flight because I figured congregations should always be asking what our mission should be, 

Elijah was fed by ravens in the wilderness. And in Luke's version of Jesus'  "don't worry" teaching the generic birds of Matthew are specifically ravens. We are in Earth Month and approaching Earth Day (Wednesday) so why not give a holy shout-out to irreverent ravens? 

While the terms for a group of ravens include an "unkindness" and "conspiracy" I prefer "storytelling." 

 So Elijah went and did according to the word of the Lord; he went and lived by the Wadi Cherith, which is east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.

Elijah 17: 5-6 NRSVue 

                              Prophet Elijah fed by a raven 1318-1321 Gracanica Monastery Belgrade 

Earth Sunday & the Web of Creation

 

Opening Song

Then Let Us Sing #2 “A Strand in the Web of Life”

A strand in the web of life let me be 

a string on the harp that the Spirit plays

at one with the sky and the earth and the sea

in the web of life let me be, let me be

in the web of life let me be, let me be

Maria Case

This is Earth Sunday, the day on which many Christian congregations in the United Church acknowledge Earth Day, which is April 22nd. Before many denominations including the UCC began celebrating Creation Time/Creationtide/Season of Creation through September each year there was Creation Sunday. 

As a pastor I introduced Earth Sunday services of worship at least 30 years ago and in the early days I was on my own when it came to liturgical resources. Now the United Church provides them from year to year. Here are a few of the elements from this year's service which include a chorus from the recently published music resource Then Let Us Sing. 

While there is a lot of "mother" here -- can you imagine multiple references to "father"? -- I appreciate the creativity. And it's good to be reminded that as humans we are part of the astonishingly intricate and beautiful web of Creation. We are called to live with awareness and respect. 

The Call to Live with Respect

We, humans, are but one strand in a web of life, and only one being among many relations. The land and waters are not resources to be exhausted. Serious disruption and harm has been caused by colonization and extractivism in the material and the spiritual. 

We, as followers of Christ, seek balance, the repairing of relations and to live with respect in Creation today and for seven generations. And we call on all people to do likewise, for the sake of Mother Earth.

Opening Prayer

Our kin, the flora and fauna are calling,

The earth, the sea, and the sky join in,

Mother earth is hurting

they cry

We need you to act with us

they call

We need you to join us in the restoring Creation

So that our mother may flourish once more.

We need you, they plead.

Discerning God,

How do we faithfully respond to these calls?

[moment of silence]

What would you have us do?

How would you like us to act?

Guide us, we pray and lead us towards transformative actions.

Amen.

Guardrails for Medical Assistance in Dying

 

This past week the Ontario government decided to reduce the size of the body that reviews complex medically assisted death and to alter its scope. The 16-member committee could be less than half that number and some of those who have been let go claim that it is because of their caution about certain cases and that the new format will be less rigorous. 

Ontario’s Solicitor-General and the Chief Coroner claim that the new group will reflect a diversity of views and uphold transparency. While I tend not to trust the Ford government on anything I have no reason to believe that this is an attempt to expand the scope of MAID or to hurry people out of this life. Why is the change necessary, though, knowing that the committee is only two years into its existence? Will a smaller group which meets less often ensure that the complex cases, including those involving mental health issues, be able to do an adequate job? 

As a Christian I want our governments to protect the poor and the vulnerable at the end of life and don't want any person to feel compelled to choose Medical Assistance in Dying as an act of desperation. At the same time I've come to believe that offering the option of MAID under carefully developed guidelines can be an act of mercy. Extending life under all circumstances is not compassion. We are certainly not intended to play God in taking life but is requiring people to live with no reasonable chance of quality for their remaining days fulfilling God's intention? 

The Globe and Mail ran an editorial two days ago with the headline: The guardrails of MAID need vigilant scrutiny. This is true and it's important for all of us to be informed and vigilant. 

When MAID became law eleven years ago the United Church issued a reasoned statement and then another a year or so later. Congregations and members where invited to respond to a government survey and we did so at Trenton United Church. I also led a discussion and study series on MAID and hospice/palliative care which was well attended.  

It seems to me that it's time that our denomination formulates another statement to address changing realities and encourages more discussion within congregations. 

Hope & the Flight of the Swallow

 

                                                            The view from my study window 

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

 Happy are those whose strength is in you,
    in whose heart are the highways to Zion.  Psalm 84:1-5 NRSVue 

We are at the stage of life where there is a lot of gloomy news about the health of our peers and, even more distressing, loved ones who are much younger. When I feel overwhelmed -- often these days -- I find solace in the natural world, Creation. While our walks, skis, now paddles and cycles, are part of this so is looking out the window of my study. 

My view is to two birch trees where there are often birds, although not swallows such as those featured in the fold-out Angela Harding card given to me by daughter Jocelyn a few years ago. I decided that I couldn't just tuck it away so I put it on the window and I still love it.

The other day we were walking alongside the Moira River north of Belleville and we saw, for the first time this year, swallows flitting and swooping over the surface. This is always a thrilling sign of Spring for me and they bring to mind the Spirit moving over the waters of Creation in Genesis. 

When I took the photo above I'd just opened the window to the sound of the dawn chorus and I felt uplifted in an indescribable way. On Easter morning I felt Resurrection hope during the worship service and I did again as the birds sang and the birch trees held their promise or renewed life. As I write this with window open I hear the rain and a loon in voice flying above, to who knows where. Life is uncertain but in this moment the God of Creation and Resurrection, animated by the Holy Spirit, is good. 

                                                 Swallows in Flight -- Angela Harding

World Art Day & Faithful Expression

                                              

Um, how did I miss World Art Day! 

When I was in my late teens and early twenties, considering ministry in the United Church as a vocation, I would go before a panel of church mucky-mucks who would ask the right questions about my suitability for the role. 

One minister was suspicious that I was focusing on art history in my undergraduate degree -- wouldn't sociology be more practical? The late Rev. Dr. Stanley Osborne, long-time principal of the Ontario Ladies College (what a name) had doctorates in theology and music. He came to my rescue noting that some of the greatest examples of art through the ages, were commissioned by the Christian church. I will always be grateful to the kind and supportive Dr. Osborne and I have no regrets about my art history education. 

When I have been in some of the great art museums of the world I have the same sensory and emotional response I've experienced in cathedrals and other places of worship. At it's best art, whether it be visual or aural, is a spiritual experience, transporting us into another realm. 

One of the unfortunate realities of the United Church tradition with Methodists and Presbyterian forebears is that we've been indifferent or suspicious about expressive art in our sanctuaries and leaned toward mundane architecture. The Roman Catholics tend to be much more inclined to share the gospel through artistic expression in their places of worship. One of my favourites through the years is the chapel of Christ in the Desert Monastery in the wilds of New Mexico. 

While I was in pastoral ministry I served St. Andrew's United Church in Sudbury. The doors to the sanctuary and peace chapel were created by internationally renowned artist, Jordi Bonet. I rarely went through those monumental doors without admiring the unique works themselves and the foresight of the congregation to include them in the new structure built in the 1970s. 

The doors have these themes: 

I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD 

I AM THE DOOR 

I AM THE RESURRECTION AND LIFE

COME HOLY SPIRIT 

COME, HOLY SPIRIT COME

 COME AS THE FIRE – AND BURN 

COME AS THE WIND – AND CLEANSE 

COME AS THE LIGHT AND REVEAL

 CONVICT – CONVERT – CONSECRATE UNTIL WE ARE WHOLLY THINE!

( the door of the Peace Chapel:

"PEACE"

                                                     St. Andrew's United Church, Sudbury Ontario

David Suzuki, Lessons from a Lifetime

 

Do you remember the 2004 CBC contest called The Greatest Canadian? More than a million of us voted in choosing the top ten, with Tommy Douglass, the Premier of Saskatchewan and the parent of Medicare at number one.  Another near the bottom didn't deserve to be there at all (Don Cherry ) and Wayne Gretzky probably wouldn't make the cut these days. Terry Fox and Sir Frederick Banting definitely deserved the honour near the top, but would PM Pierre Trudeau still be number three. 

The only person in the top five who is still with us in David Suzuki who recently celebrated his 90th birthday. The scientist, environmentalist and longtime host of The Nature of Things has been tireless in his efforts to speak on behalf of the planet, beginning in the 1960s. Now the David Suzuki Foundation continues this essential work in Canada and around the world, in advocacy and financial support for environmental projects.

                                                            from A Force of Nature, an NFB film 

I have finished Suzuki's Lessons from a Lifetime which includes a series of his reflections on a long and remarkably varied life interspersed with tributes from a varied bunch of admirers Jane Fonda, Margaret Atwood, Elizabeth May and so many more. I found myself unexpectedly moved at times by his thoughts about childhood as a Japanese/Canadian who was sequestered in what was essentially a prison camp during WW2 and the racism he somehow overcame thanks to his remarkable parents and his own drive. I also appreciated the deep satisfaction he now enjoys being with his wife, Tara, his children from two marriages, and his grandchildren.

Suzuki has mused that the environmental movement has failed in some respects, although he isn't giving up, and I share that outlook. As humans we continue to foul our own nest and desecrate Creation. Why can't we learn and change our foolish ways? 

Over the years Suzuki has inspired a host of critics including those who are mean-spirited enough to mock him as he reaches this auspicious birthday and use the derisive term "saint David". This "saint" is matter of fact in saying that he doesn't believe in an afterlife, that basically when we're composted it's over. He did write a book called The Sacred Balance which incorporates what he has learned from Indigenous cultures around the world, including the people of Haida Gwaii. 

I should add here that I've had a conversation with David Suzuki. Okay, a decade ago I I was surprisingly face to face with him in a Toronto hotel lobby and when I wished him a happy 80th he said thank you. I'm declaring this a meaningful chat and sticking with it. 

 

Pope Leo, Peacemaker

 What would make an aging couple burst into laughter at seven o'clock in the morning while listening to CBC Radio yesterday? Why, it was the President of the United States, Donald Trump declaring that he is not a fan of Pope Leo. Oh, really? 

The American-born pontiff, leader of about 1.4 billion Roman Catholics has been increasingly outspoken in opposition to the Iran War which Trump initiated along with Israel.  According to a Vatican news release

During a recent Prayer Vigil for Peace in the world, Leo appealed to leaders of nations to stop and sit at the table of dialogue and mediation, "not at the table where rearmament is planned and deadly actions are decided!" He also insists that the Church will always advance in calling for peace "even when rejecting the logic of war may lead to misunderstanding and scorn," and will always instill "obedience to God rather than any human authority."

This led to Trump dismissing Pope Leo as weak and catering to the Radical Left, aka anyone who speaks truth to his power and generally appeals to the message of Jesus who is the Prince of Peace. Far from being perturbed Leo responded to a reporter's question about the presidents comments offering:

“I have no fear of the Trump administration or speaking out loudly of the message of the Gospel, which is what I believe I am here to do, what the Church is here to do. We are not politicians. We don’t deal with foreign policy with the same perspective he might understand it, but I do believe in the message of the Gospel, as a peacemaker.”

Norah O’Donnell – a senior correspondent for CBS News and a contributing correspondent for “60 Minutes” – interviews (from left to right) Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, New Jersey; Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of Washington, D.C.; and Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago for a segment titled “Pope Leo’s Church” that aired on April 12. (Screen capture from “60 Minutes”)

On Sunday evening the CBS program 60 Minutes sat down with three RC Cardinals who all supported Pope Leo's views. When interviewer  Norah O’Donnell asked if the United States’ war with Iran is a just war, Cardinal McElroy responded, “No, in the Catholic teaching this is not a just war. The Catholic faith teaches us there are certain prerequisites for a just war. You can’t go for a variety of different aims. You have to have a focused aim, which is to restore justice and restore peace. That’s it.”

I was impressed by all three but I have no doubt that Trump considers these Cardinals "nasty, very nasty."

This wickedness on the part of the President isn't funny but it is absurd. It should cause every Christian to weep and it's also scary. He may not be the Anti-Christ, but he is anti-Christ in so many ways.

Shortly after nyah-nyahing Leo Trump posted an image of himself as Jesus healing a white guy in the midst of a bunch of other white folk looking on in wonder. Perhaps President Trump and Secretary of War Hegseth will mount an "excursion" against the Vatican. The American military is in the vicinity, so...