There is Room For All on Transgender Day of Visibility

 

There is room for all in the shadow of God's wing.

There is room for all,sheltered in God's love.

And I rejoice and sing, "My refuge and my rock in whom I trust."

There is room for all, there is room for all. 

More Voices 62, inspired by Psalm 91

5:16From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we no longer know him in that way.

5:17So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; look, new things have come into being!

5:18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation;

2 Corinthians 5:16-18 NRSVue  (from Lent 4 epistle reading)

This is Transgender Day of Visibility and we have to wonder how transgender persons feel in a time when they are being told that they should not be visible or respected in places where they had made progress.

In the United States Trump has led the way on the "only two genders' front and institutions have been threatened because they upheld LGBTQ2S+ recognition. Some of them have capitulated and others have been forced to comply with new legislation, including libraries. There have been purges in the military as well.  

In an interview back in January Canadian Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, a man who aspires to be Prime Minister, said  he is only aware of two genders — male and female — and that the government should leave questions of gender identity alone. When he was then asked whether he would request that the U.S. to recognize the gender-neutral “X” marker available on Canadian passports, he didn't answer the question and talked about the cost of living instead. This is not the leadership I expect from a PM. 

There are transgender persons in our congregation and I sense that they feel part of our community of faith. They are involved in a number of aspects of church life. We are largely an older bunch yet the acceptance on the part of seniors who certainly didn't grow up with any conversation about transgender persons seems genuine. For a lot of us this has required repentance and conversion. We have recognized that we had biases that were not consistent with the gospel and often cruel. We have changed our hearts and minds because we follow Jesus whose acceptance went far beyond cultural norms. 

Welcoming congregations as places of sanctuary for LGBTQ2S+ persons are essential. In Canada transgender persons are about .33% of the population yet are often demonized as predators and a general threat to public safety. At times this borders on hysteria. They are far more likely to be subjects of violence and discrimination and, not surprisingly, have a higher than average percentage who struggle with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. 

There is too much "fine print" Christianity that proclaims acceptance for all only to make the circle so small that many are excluded. As Christians we can take the lead in modelling wider acceptance rather than reinforcing stereotypes and rejecting God's children. Every day we can ask how there is "room for all." 

Beyond "Us & Them"

 

Yale professors Timothy Snyder, Marci Shore, Jason Stanley

Yale University in the United States is one of the most prestigious academic institutions in the world -- what academic wouldn't want to teach there? It turns out that three professors are fleeing to the hinterlands of Toronto. Okay, the U of T isn't exactly a backwater. In fact, it is also a highly rated university but these three profs will be leaving their country and higher paying jobs in order to teach in a democracy. 

If that sounds extreme, Dr. Jason Stanley,  a professor of philosophy is convinced that the Trump regime is in the process of an autocratic takeover and creating a far-right regime. He sees that universities, including Columbia, have been threatened with the withdrawal of hundreds of millions of dollars in funding if they don't capitulate to the Trump administration's demands. In Columbia's case this is supposedly over allowing anti-Semitic behaviour on campus when, chillingly, a number of Trump's minions are anti-Jewish. 

This is more than uninformed alarmism on Stanley's part. He is the author of How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them. He and his colleagues will be joining the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy with a goal of making it "a world centre of democracy in these emergency times.", as Stanley puts it. 

What comes to mind listening to Stanley's chilling rationale? First of all, the "double-speak" of George Orwell's novel 1984 (written in 1949). Then there is the picture of Canada as a haven from a fascist, misogynistic theocracy in Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (published 40 years ago.) 

I've also been thinking alot about The Plot Against America,  a novel by Philip Roth.It is an alternative history in which Franklin Roosevelt is defeated by Charles Lindbergh in the presidential election of 1940. Lindbergh was openly anti-Jewish and in this story he quickly moves to first marginalize, then persecute Jews, with help from the wealthy, including Henry Ford. 

There is an excellent HBO television series with the same title and earlier this year we watched if for a second time. The promises of making the country great again, isolationism, and upholding supposedly white Christian values are all there, from a novel written 20 years ago.

We can hope for more of a "brain drain" heading northward by Americans who understand that freedom of expression and upholding democratic values are worth cherishing. We can also pray that a day will come when they feel safe in returning. 

A Sacred Relationship with the Land

 

                                        The community garden at Hoʻoulu ʻĀina.

Today folk from Trenton United Church will enjoy a contemplative walk through an urban park, culminating with an outdoor celebration of communion which I will lead. Well, that was the plan, and why not? Last year on this date the sun shone and the temperature was balmy. We're just grateful that the power is still on since everything is coated in freezing rain and it's still coming down. Oh, Canada!

Shall we go to Hawaii instead? I've noticed and written about the growing number of initiatives to get people outside and, if possible, moving as an aspect of healing. Everything from Forest Bathing, to PaRX prescriptions, to outdoor schools for children. As the population of Planet Earth becomes more urban we're realizing the restorative power of Nature/Creation for the health of body, mind, and spirit. 

                                                       Children washed turmeric at the preserve.

It's a tonic to read in the New York Times about a clinic developed over the past few decades on what had been derelict land in Hawaii. Just the title of the piece is uplifting: At This Clinic in Hawaii, Nature Is the Medicine. Here a few paragraphs from the piece written by Cara Buckley, with photographs and video by Marie Eriel Hobro: 

The air is filled with birdsong, the land a tableau of soft greens and gentle light. This is Ho‘oulu ‘Āina, a 100-acre preserve with an unusual twist. Linked to a community health center, it is a place where patients come to heal the land, and themselves.

Twenty years ago, Ho‘oulu ‘Āina was neglected, overrun with garbage and invasive plants. But today, it’s thriving. And the volunteers and patients who spend long hours there, removing nonnative plants and growing vegetables, fruit and herbs, have experienced a restoration of body and soul. 

There is growing research that shows how spending time in nature can improve mental, physical and cognitive health, something that the stewards of Ho‘oulu ‘Āina have seen firsthand. 

Older people once dependent on canes and walkers have regained some mobility. Diabetics have seen their glucose levels drop. Depressed teens have grown bright-eyed. In Hawaiian, the name Ho‘oulu ‘Āina means “to grow because of the land,” and they have. 

“Many people within the health center saw the land as a means to improve human health, sort of a tool,” said Puni Jackson, the program director at Ho‘oulu ‘Āina. But for Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, who make up a majority of patients at the clinic, the connection to nature is familial and profound, Ms. Jackson said. “It’s a sacred relationship,” she said.

A sacred relationship. More and more I feel that we've missed an essential aspect of the gospel message, or at least downplayed  that Jesus did a lot of his best work en plein air, as I suggested to anxiety researcher Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore earlier this year.

 It wasn't just that Jesus changed lives as a healer, he did so outside. He had eye-opening conversations with his disciples as they rambled and climbed. The gospel writers tell us that Jesus took time for restoration and deep listening to God on hillsides, alone. As we make our way through Lent toward Holy Week we are mindful that the last hours before his arrest were spent in an olive grove. 

As I look out my study window I see the ice glistening on the waving branches of a birch tree. It is actually lovely, but in my mind I'm on my way to Ho‘oulu ‘Āina. We'll have our Trenton UC sacred ramble eventually!

Scott Garlough, the operations manager at Ho‘oulu ‘Āina. “It’s the land that actually does the teaching,” he said.

A New Vision for Danforth Church

 

                                                                     Danforth Church, Toronto

I heard an interview with a representative Mwarigha from Woodgreen Community Services  about the redevelopment of a historic church in Toronto that had been for sale for some time While lots of church buildings have been repurposed or demolished because the congregations bit the dust, this one is different. The congregation has traded some of the value of the property to have the sanctuary restored so they can continue worshipping in this location and continue to provide outreach ministries. I found an article about this project in the Globe and Mail and here is an excerpt:

And WoodGreen, to their credit, thought it might be nice if the diminished congregation could still attend services in a retained portion of Siddall’s building and, further, that residents of the Danforth might like architectural continuity.

“We came to a fairly creative solution,” continued Mwarigha, who uses only one name. “WoodGreen will buy the land from you at a discounted rate; in exchange for the land, you will get 5,000 square feet of footprint in the building [and] on that footprint you will recreate the sanctuary and a smaller church space.”

That way, the church could also continue to provide meals to those in need and services to the community at large – “I actually did go to the church to attempt to become a tango dancer [but] that did not succeed,” Mwarigha laughed – and, by careful demolition and the insertion of an eight-storey tower, WoodGreen could provide 50 residential units for seniors.

“It is vibrating,” Mwarigha said with a smile. “The church is back in action, working to develop and facilitate the programs that they have traditionally provided during the week. On Sunday they’ve got the church service … and it’s open to tenants in the WoodGreen building … on the side door you see WoodGreen staff coming in … and all the interconnections between this integrated approach to social housing … and you see marker events happening, be it open houses, Christmas parties, Canada Day events.

This is an impressive partnership and given that thousands of congregations are in their last days across the country this use of property makes so much sense.In the CBC Radio interview Mwarigha was respectful about the history of this faith community. 

Here is my one quibble with the conversation. The church was never identified, and after a search online I discovered that it began as Chester Baptist Church on the Danforth, then  became Danforth Baptist Church, and eventually Danforth Church. 

This was once the congregation of one of Ruth's sisters and her husband when they were young, as were many of the group of people who were attempting to provide an alternative congregational life in the heart of the city. Martha was the lead singer for a band that included Fergus Marsh, one of the musicians who played regularly with Bruce Cockburn. The church had a downstairs coffee house on Friday nights and we went on an evening when Fergus and Hugh, his brother, were in the band. Cockburn showed up because of his connection with the two of them. 

I've noticed that often now news outlets write or speak about churches without using their names, let alone their denominations. This happens regularly in local reporting.  They wouldn't do so with individuals or even with other institutions, it seems to me. We realize that we are in a largely secular society yet it doesn't take much to be respectful of what these places or worship and community service have represented and in some instances still want to be. 

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/real-estate/toronto/article-prefab-units-help-to-speed-toronto-church-conversion/

                                 Woodgreen Community Services Redevelopment of Danforth Church

Ramadan Amidst the Ruins

 

"Ramadan in Gaza has always been a special month, where the nights are illuminated by lanterns, markets bustle with life and mosques echo with the sounds of Taraweeh prayers at night. It is a time when the values of love, solidarity and generosity are most evident, as families gather around the Iftar table and children eagerly await the Maghrib call to prayer, running through the alleyways with their small lanterns," says Shadi Salem, a Palestinian writer from Gaza...

Ramadan, the Islamic forty day holy period of fasting, reflection, and generosity  comes to an end this Saturday evening. When Ramadan began for the Muslims of Gaza they were experiencing a cessation in warfare, a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel. That fragile agreement ended just over a week ago and the bombing in Gaza resumed with significant loss of life.

Despite this people have attempted to observe Ramadan, including gathering for the iftar, the meal at day's end to break the fast. There is the terrible irony that the embargo on relief supplies means that there is enforced fasting to the point of starvation for many, including children.  In the photo above you will see people along both sides of a table in the midst of the rubble.

Our ceremonial religious meals are vital to our faith, across religions. There are stories of Christians in the Soviet gulag prisons of another day coming together for a form of communion or eucharist even though the actual elements of bread and wine were not available. Through the centuries persecuted Jews would observe the Passover in secret, even though their lives were at risk. The communal nature of our sacred gatherings around food as physical and spiritual sustenance is a remarkable phenomenon.

In a few weeks many of us will observe Maundy Thursday during Holy Week, a reminder of Jesus' Last Supper with his followers in a land occupied by the Roman Empire. So, as a Christian I am more than willing to pray that Muslims in Gaza can gather in safety despite the threats and in doing so they can have a sense of peace and hope. 

Tree Day, Emily Carr, & Planting Trees

 

When I eventually realized that last Friday was International Tree Day I decided it was serendipitious that I had already blogged about a walk in the woods that morning. No need for further comment.

The next day there was an article in the Globe and Mail about an exhibition of the paintings of Canadian painter, rather hapless explorer, and mystic, Emily Carr, at the Vancouver Art Gallery. It's called Navigating an Inpenetrable Landscape and while I would love to take it in this ain't gonna happen. The photo with the article made me swoon (sort of)  -- an entire wall of her tree images!

Carr lived in Victoria BC but made "seat of the pants" expeditions into the Pacific Northwest, both on the mainland and on Haida Gwaii. To a degree she was a European settler in her sensibilities but she had a respect for Indigenous culture that was unusual for her time. She created soaring, swirling depictions of trees whether in the depths of the forest, or in clearcuts, or as totem poles. The exhibition poster is of a totem image that has almost disappeared into foliage.

When we visited Haida Gwaii last June we travelled by boat into Gwaii Haanas National Park Reserve, National Marine Conservation Area Reserve, and Haida Heritage Site. We stopped at an ancient village with teetering and fallen totem poles that were present when Carr visited more than a century ago. She didn't look like the stereotype of a fearless adventurer but she got around. She never achieved significant recognition or prosperity the way members of the contemporary Group of Seven painters (a boys club) did but they admired her work. 

I've always loved trees but the longer I live the more I am in awe of their presence around us and the importance of our respectful coexistence. Being amidst trees is a spiritual experience fo us, never more so that when we were on Haida Gwaii. I think about our visit there all the time. 

This morning I led Week 2 of our study of Laudato Si: On Care for our Common Home, the 2015 encyclical by Pope Francis. In conversation a member of the Trenton UC board mentioned that to celebrate the 100th birthday of the United Church we will be planting 100 trees at a Conservation Area in the region. This is a wonderful, inspired initiative. Wouldn't it be great if UCC congregations across the country followed suit? 

Emily Carr, Haida Gwaii 

                                                                  Emily Carr sculpture, Victoria BC

Walk with Jesus, the Great Physician

Walk with me, I will walk with you

and build the land that God has planned

where love shines through. Voices United  649 (chorus)

 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 

While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them...   

Luke 24:13-15 NRSVue

The other day good 'ol CBC Radio The Current offered a hopeful interview with Dr. David Sabgir, a cardiologist from Ohio. Back in 2005 Dr. Sabgir realized that asking his patients to get out and exercise wasn't working so he began walking with them. The program, called Walk With A Doc, has spread to nearly 600 communities around the globe in the 20 years since. He began out of the realization that encouraging patients to be physically active wasn't working and even writing prescriptions for exercise wasn't effective either. He ended up inviting one patient to walk with his family on a Saturday and it has grown so that many colleagues in various disciplines volunteer their time to join him with up to a hundred patients for each gentle ramble. 

This sparked a lot of thought on my part. Nearly 30 years ago a funeral home in Sudbury where I was in ministry brought Rabbi Earl Grollman to speak about grief. During his talk Dr. Grollman touched on "motion controls emotion", the importance of physical movement as a form of healing. He had a rocking chair in his office for those who weren't able to walk. I could see the parallels with addressing the anxiety and spiritual pain people would describe when they sought me ought so I began asking individuals if they would like to meet on a waterfront trail not far from the church. While the denominational rules about doing this became more restrictive over time I did so for years in different congregations.

We also offered congregational saunters in different communities and in Sudbury as many as 60 people of all ages would join us. As it turns out, this Saturday there will be a congregational walk at Trenton United organized by Rev. Isaac and others and we will participate. 

Dr. Sabgir spoke of the benefits of these walks being physical, emotional, and spiritual and I know from experience that this is true. A lot has been written about the benefits of walking for clarifying thought and it may be related to our bipedalism, that humans uniquely walk upright and our brains are stimulated by this form of movement. I will add that we personally benefit from cycling, paddling, cross-country skiiing as well. Time in Nature/Creation changes our perspective and brings us joy. 

                                                        The Road to Emmaus -- Jorge Cocco

Of course, Jesus was a walker and Luke tells us that after the Resurrection he joined two of his despondent followers on the road to Emmaus to reveal the Good News. Some congregations use the chorus of the hymn Walk With Me as a Sending Forth, so why not take it literally as well as figuratively? All credit to Dr. Sabgir for Walk with a Doc but we can all get a move on with Jesus, the Great Physician.

Here is the link to The Current interview:

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-63-the-current/clip/16135189-how-patients-moving-walk-them-doctor-says

Organized Hatred in 1925 & 2025

 

I was reading a review of a book that made reference to another that intrigued me, Timothy Egan's A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them. Lo and behold, our library has a copy so I figured that I'd read the introduction and perhaps the first chapter. I ended up reading it all because it tells a chilling story of the rapid growth of the racist Klan in the United States 100 years ago. I had long assumed that the KKK was a relatively small group of white supremacists in the South emerging after Lincoln's emancipation of enslaved people. In fact, the heyday of the clan was in the late teens and early twenties of the 20th century with approximately 6 million members. The population of the US was 115 million at the time and has since nearly tripled, so the equivalent today would be roughly 18 million. 

There were millions of men who donned the chillingly silly white bedsheet robes and employed almost comical names to describe their leaders -- Grand Dragon and Imperial Wizard among them. The Klan was a racist, anti-Catholic, anti-Jewish, anti-immigration, anti just about anyone who wasn't a white Protestant organization that grew like wildfire in many parts of America, including the North.  The leaders were cunning individuals who amassed considerable personal wealth selling memberships to hate others and profited from all the swag that went with it. There were Klan organizations for women and children. Politicians and judges and law enforcement officers were successfully recruited at every level. 

Every effort was made to ensure anonymity for rank and file members as they went about their campaigns of terror and control but they became bolder and bolder. There were huge Klan parades in which thousands -- sometimes tens of thousands -- participated. When journalists and legislators attempted to expose or resist this insidious spread of hatred they were threatened and even jailed (see photo.) 

One of the most powerful leaders was David Curtis "Steve" Stephenson, a charismatic speaker who drew large crowds and created a cult-like following. While he presented himself as a moral beacon he was a womanizer and misogynistic abuser who held orgy-like parties at his mansion. He had aspirations for the White House and was convinced that he was above the law, owning just about every politician in his sphere.Eventually he was convicted of the rape and murder of a young woman he and some of his minions had abducted. Stephenson was stunned that he could be convicted of these or any other crimes. 

Organized religion was also a successful target of recruitment for the KKK and pastors were often given bags of cash to promote the cause. Members of the Klan would rally at churches and burning crosses became a bizarre symbol of their reach. 

After Stephenson's conviction for murder the Klan lost power and within a few years membership and influence faded. Still, this era is a reminder of the ability of hatred in the guise of sanctity and purity to poison a society. And, sadly, religion often willingly walks alongside. 

Does all this sound familiar? 

The Prime Minister Goes to Church

 During the CBC Radio hourly newscast this morning we heard again what has been repeated all week long. Prime Minister Mark Carney will visit Governor General Mary Simon at noon today requesting the dissolution of parliament for the commencement of an election campaign. Election day will be either the last Monday in April or the first Monday in May.

What struck me as a bit newsworthy is that Carney will be attending a worship service in a church before this meeting. Really? We don't hear much about the religion of political leaders in Canada although Jagmeet Singh (NDP) is Sikh while Elizabeth May (Green) is  Anglican and in years past claimed that after she was Prime Minister she would study for the priesthood. Pierre Poilievre (Conservative) was raised Roman Catholic although those close to him note that religion hasn't been prominent in his adult life. He does visit churches fairly often, mostly those leaning to the right, as he courts conservative "family" values. I have no idea about the Bloc Quebecois' Yves-François Blanchet's personal religious convictions or practices but the province of Quebec seems determined to push all evidence of religion of any kind out of the public square. 

Mark Carney was also raised RC and his father Bob, a school superintendent, was serious about Catholic social values. Son Mark has served on the Vatican's Steering Committee of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism. 

Americans have traditionally placed more emphasis on the religious background of political candidates --supposedly. The late President Jimmy Carter was a devout Christian in word and deed yet he was held in contempt by many evangelicals. Barack Obama is a Protestant and did attend church at times during his presidency but there were outlandish conspiracy theories about him being a closet Muslim -- perish the thought. Joe Biden is a practicing Catholic, as is Nancy Pelosi (former Speaker of the House), and both came under fire from bishops for supporting reproductive freedom for women. Pelosi was banned from receiving the eucharist by her bishop but she shrugged and said this was his problem, not hers. No priest ever refused to let her take communion.

The current US president claims to be a Christian but there is absolutely nothing to suggest that this is true, in keeping with his wretched moral failure in every aspect of life. 

I hope that in Canada we still care about values and character and a well-developed moral compass amongst our leaders. Mark Carney wrote a book with the title Value(s) Building a Better World for All. 

If genuine religion guides his values, all the better. We can all do some praying for the outcome of this election in challenging times. 

World Water Day & Living Icecubes

 

  Left: Scientists at the Peyto Glacier research station (built in the 1960s) after a day spent studying glacial composition and melt rate. Right: Researchers May Guan, Steve Bertollo and Scott Munro set up monitoring equipment on Peyto. This image was taken in 2011; the ice they’re standing on has since melted and formed a large lake. Photos: Lynn Martel.

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink.

 As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ”

John 7: 37-38 NRSVue

In the mid-1960s our family did what a lot of Canadians were doing at the time -- we piled into the car and headed across the country, destination Vancouver. It was a grim forced march for my brother and me, in large part because our father had no appreciation that driving for endless hours might make two young boys restless and goofy. 

There were stops along the way including Peyto Lake and Glacier in the Rocky Mountains. There was the surreal colour of the water and the massive sheet of ice that I recall being unexpectedly dirty. Over the past 60 years this glacier has done the disappearing act of glaciers around the planet with an alarming acceleration since the turn of the millennium. Canada's glaciers seemed inexhaustible, as did those in Iceland, and the Himalayas. The same with the icecaps at both poles. In turns out that we humans have a remarkable ability to alter just about everything for our own selfish purposes and to foul our own nests.Somehow we've transformed the term "glacial speed" from something ponderously slow moving to disturbingly fast. 

If you have visited glaciers as an adult you may have had more of a spiritual experience, as we did when touring Iceland. We have also had remarkable moments with icebergs in Newfoundland, including paddling relatively close to them while staying on Change Islands near Fogo during the "year of the Icebergs" in 2017. These bergs were once part of Greenland glacial formations. 

In 2019 Iceland commemorated the once huge Okjokull glacier with plaque that warns action is needed to prevent climate change

In September 2019, a "funeral march" was held in the Swiss Alps to commemorate the death of the Pizol glacier, a symbolic act to raise awareness about climate change and the loss of glaciers due to global warming

There have been events mourning the demise of glaciers in the manner of funerals, a recognition of the grief felt for what we once took for granted. Glaciers are absolutely vital for the storage and release of water for creatures around the planet, including hundreds of millions of people. 

In places such as the Andes of Peru glaciers are considered sacred and as many as 100,000 pilgrims travel hundreds of kilometres for annual religious festivals. At an altitude of 16,500 feet, they'll camp out, sing, dance and pray during Qoyllur Riti, which means "snow star" in the local Quechua language.They bring back chunks of ice from the glacier, symbols of water and life, to their communities. 

This is World Water Day 2025 with the theme of saving glaciers and I'm all for appreciating the sacred aspect of glaciers. Jesus described himself as living water so why not throw in an icecube? 

                                                     

                                                             Moi, Change Islands July 2017

Could it be Spring Beyond the Calendar Date?

 

                                                               Swamp-henge at the Frink Centre

1 In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed, an apple tree;

in cocoons, a hidden promise:butterflies will soon be free!

In the cold and snow of winter there's a spring that waits to be,

unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see.

                                In the Bulb There is a Flower VU 703

We had an early morning walk along the edge of the maple swamp at the Frink Centre Conservation Area, before any other humans had arrived. The recent warm days have vanquished most of the snow in the bush and the Moira River is now ice free. Of course I made noises about paddling and Ruth rolled her eyes.

I commented that I hadn't heard any wood ducks yet this year only to reach the river's edge to first hear, then see a pair of them in flight. It's as though they served up their presence to let me know that yesterday was the Spring Equinox. Across the river we could see the bald eagles' nest with one of the pair in a tree amidst the rapids. It too obliged us by lifting off and sweeping away along the shore.

In some respects we can't claim that Spring has sprung and we may be brutalized yet by various manifestations of false Spring. It doesn't matter because the Red-winged blackbirds are back and they will be vocally defiant no matter what the conditions.

                                                  Red-winged Blackbird -- Photographer unknown

On our way home we heard a CBC Radio The Current interview with a cheerful conservationist in Edmonton who is waiting for the sound of the first Red-winged blackbird in a location where Spring comes a little more slowly. The piece was about the value and delight in looking for the signs of changing seasons in Canada.

On Wednesday we had our first session looking at Pope Francis' environment encyclical called Laudato Si (Praise be to You): On Care for Our Common Home. I asked the group about what had been praise-worthy during the Winter and one person was candid in saying that while she deals with Seasonal Affective Disorder she found that paying attention to nature during February as part of our congregational project had made a difference. Another said that she too had benefitted from listening and looking during the wintry month and that she and a group of friends are keeping up their daily observations through March with a focus on signs of Spring. 

We finished our walk before the arrival of school groups which will check the sap buckets on the maple trees. The Frink Centre has its own "sugar shack" where the miracle of creating maple syrup takes place. While the forest floor is still covered with decaying leaves and branches are bare there is promise. The hymn above has worn out it's welcome to some extent, becuase of over-use, I could have been singing it this morning. Bring on the trilliums and swamp lilies!

Pigs, Kidneys, & Christian Ethics

You may have heard that earlier this year a genetically modified pig kidney was transplanted into a human being. This was not the first such transplantation but there haven't been many attempts an this is the one getting media attention. According to an AI summary: 

• The Procedure:On March 16, 2024, MGH surgeons transplanted a genetically modified pig kidney into a 62-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) named Richard "Rick" Slayman. 
• Genetically Modified Pig Kidney:The pig kidney was genetically modified using CRISPR-Cas9 technology to remove harmful pig genes and add certain human genes, making it more compatible for human transplantation. 
• Xenotransplantation:This procedure is a form of xenotransplantation, the transplantation of organs from one species to another, which researchers hope will help alleviate the organ shortage crisis.
• Importance:
  Harvard Medical School researchers are optimistic that this transplant is an important step towards making genetically edited pig organs a viable, long-term solution for patients. 

There are lots of ethical issues around xenotransplantation, although this isn't new. The first transplantation of a pig's aortic heart valve into a human was in 1965, sixty years ago, and there are many people given a new lease of life because of these implants.

 I've written before about auditing a Science and Religion course at Dalhousie University around the turn of the millennium when I was a minister in Halifax. The professor, knowing I was a minister, asked if I would research and present to the class about xenotransplantation. I knew absolutely nothing about it but I agreed to do so and discovered that the Roman Catholics had done the most work in developing a thoughtful Christian response to this ethically challenging subject.

There are plenty of pig heart valves available but the unfolding issue 25 years ago was the prospect of raising genetically modified pigs for the purpose of transplantation. Should we be using pigs as, well, guineau pigs, and humans as well, for that matter. And when is a pig no longer a pig if scientists have modified their genes to be more human. 

One of Canada's leading ethicists, Francoise Baylis, was in my Halifax congregation and chatted with my once about her sense that science was running far ahead of the ethics related to certain developments. So, where were faith communities in the midst of this? It's still an important question. 

When I was a kid I was an avid reader of a series of Freddie the Pig books which were available from our tiny local library. Freddy was a pig with decidedly human qualities and a determined sleuth to boot. I think I still have a copy of Freddy and the Baseball Team from Mars -- no, I did not steal it from the library. Apparently author Walter Brooks was on to something. 

We won't even get started on Animal Farm and how "all animals are equal" became "some animals are more equal than others."

As Christians we need to be aware and responsive, although I'm not sure how. Oink if you love Jesus, and pigs!

A Christ-Hub in the Heart of Belleville

May the Christ who walks on wounded feet

            walk with you on the road.

May the Christ who serves with wounded hands

            stretch out your hands to serve.

May the Christ who loves with a wounded heart

            open your hearts to love.

May you see the face of Christ in everyone you meet,

            and may everyone you meet

            see the face of Christ in you.  Voices United 349

 Our household is watching and listening with considerable interest as announcements are released regarding The Bridge Hub in Belleville. The creation of a location to offer a range of services to those who are unhoused or otherwise living on the margins of society is good news for this community but the road has involved some twists and turns. The building purchased for this purpose was in greater need of renovations than first thought so the Fall of 2025 is now the target for opening. 

During the past few years the meal ministry created by the Bridge St. United Church in the downtown has grown, as it did during my time as lead minister with the congregation. Since my departure the programs expanded and a partnership was formed with the John Howard Society. The number of people needing assistance and services in Belleville has grown exponentially, as it has in so many communities across the country. This has become an issue downtown with a rise in vandalism and crime, along with pop-up encampments. Some people avoid the stretch of Bridge St. where the church is located because it is an intimidating gauntlet.  

On Sunday morning I picked up surplus baking products from Metro to deliver to Bridge St. UC. The day before Ruth and I packed our Subaru Outback to the roof with generous donations from both Cobbs Bread and Metro. As I carried in the first boxes on Sunday a guest waiting in the cold rain asked what I had and I told him bread. He wondered if I had any fish to go with it. When I acknowledged his "loaves and fishes" quip we both laughed. I spoke with others as I brought in the boxes and they were remarkably cheerful given their circumstances and the weather. 

As I left the two door-keepers began letting people in with registry clipboard in hand. One of them greeted each person by name and I felt a rise of emotion. These folk are human beings with emotions, with names, and they deserve to be respected and loved.

I've written before about "front door congregations" and "side door congregations" and the reality that the two often don't meet. Ruth is a weekly volunteer with the meal program and wonders what will be lost when it shifts away from Bridge St. UC, even as she sees the toll it is taking on the building. The majority of services will move to a temporary location as of the end of March, less than two weeks away. 

We'll see in the days and months ahead. 

Justice for Morgan and Marcedes

 

"The United Church of Canada believes that the inherent dignity of every human being must be respected. In life, and now in death, Morgan, Marcedes, and thousands of other missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, and Two Spirit people have been denied the dignity and respect that they deserve."

In the heat of debate in 2023/24 over whether to search a Winnipeg area landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran, murdered by a convicted serial killer I wondered if committing significant resources to doing so made sense. The landfill is vast, their were risks for the searchers, and their are tremendous needs in Indigenous communities where those millions of dollars could make a difference to the living. Clearly the horrendous toll of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls continues to be a scourge in Canada and I was uncertain about my perspective but expressed it just the same. .  

The United Church of Canada supported the search and in 2023 our Moderator, The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne, who is Indigenous,  travelled to Manitoba along with leaders from other denominations to be in solidarity with families in demanding that the search take place. 

The Right Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne joined church leaders and members from across the country at Camp Morgan at the Brady Road Landfill in Winnipeg on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2023, where they stood in solidarity with advocates who have been calling for months for a search of the Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two Indigenous women. PHOTO BY DAVE BAXTER /Winnipeg Sun/Local Journalism Initiative

The Manitoba Conservative government of that period made not searching the landfills an election issue and it was so clearly a desperate and racist ploy that there was backlash from the electorate, including usual supporters. When the government was defeated and Wab Kinew, Indigenous himself, became premier the decision was made to first study the feasibility of a search then commence the painstaking work. The Tories have since apologized. 

After the discovery of the second set of remains Kinew stated "Marcedes Myran and Morgan Harris are coming home.This is what we set out to do. I don't know if many of us knew the odds of success ... but it turns out bringing them home was within our grasp and something we were able to do for these families."

I'll concede that my line of thought was wrong and that the commitment to fulfilling the search was justified. Was I racist in my outlook? Perhaps, because as a white male in the dominant culture it's a pervasive reality so repentance is important.  I'm hoping that my intentions were reasonable and that I do want justice for Indigenous peoples, but I live and learn.