The Legacy and Gift of the Black Church

 I have stayed up really late the past couple of evenings - okay, 11 PM is my idea of burning the midnight oil in my dotage. I watched the two, two-hour segments of The Black Church: This is My Story, This is My Song on PBS. The host was Henry Louis Gates who led viewers through 400 years of the Black church in America, beginning with worship experiences in the early days of slavery which combined the religions of Africa with Christianity before there were church structures for worship.

The second evening included an exploration of the role of women in the Civil Rights Movement, which was strongly associated with the Black church. Most of us are aware of Rosa Parks, but there were many prominent women in the movement, even though their contributions have been less recognized. 

One of those women was activist, theologian, and eloquent speaker, Prathia Hall. In one meeting which included Martin Luther King Jr. Hall prayed using the recurring phrase "I have a dream.". MLK was struck by this phrase, and told Hall that he would use it at some point. He did, in what was one of his best known addresses, often called the "I Have a Dream Speech" at the Lincoln Memorial as the culmination of the March on Washington.

Women were key to the organization of the March on Washington and half a dozen were acknowledged on stage. I've heard that while some of the Black male Civil Rights leaders were invited to the White House to meet with President Kennedy, none of the women were. And apparently none of those men insisted that women be included. 

I would like to know more about the Black Church in Canada. Union United Church is a Black congregation established in Montreal in 1907 by a group of African Canadian railway porters and their wives so that they might  worship in their own style after having been excluded  from other congregations. Union United has had visits from Nelson Mandela, Sidney Poitier Marcus and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, it's where jazz pianist Oscar Peterson learned to play, and offered music lessons in his youth.Surely there were prominent women as well!

If you get the opportunity to watch The Black Church, I highly recommend that you do. 

                                 Nelson and Winnie Mandela visit Union United Church, Montreal in 1990 

Ash Wednesday, Lunar New Year -- Contrition and Celebration

We will be attending a "touchless" Ash Wednesday service this evening, our return to in-person worship after nearly two months of lock-down. I'm thinking of a recent providential contact on what is a solemn day for Christians. 

Recently I was added to an email list of seminary classmates, one which I hadn't realized existed. It felt rather biblical, given that it is 40 years since we graduated from Emmanuel College, part of the University of Toronto. The United Church of Canada is a national denomination so the majority of us were sent forth to pastoral charges where we had little opportunity to be in touch. I was fortunate to be settled in Newfoundland, in proximity to several classmates, but the majority I've not seen or heard from in decades.

One is Greer Anne Wenh-In Ng, whose background I knew nothing about at seminary, and I regret not inquiring during our three years there. She began life in Hong Kong in a family of Chinese origin, which  eventually made their way to Canada. Educated in missionary schools in Hong Kong she had English names (I knew her as Greer Anne) as well as her Chinese name. 

I was aware over time that she had become an accomplished scholar in the field of Christian Education and a professor. It was Wenh-In who let us know about an online service to celebrate the Lunar New Year last week, and in that service she read her poem from an earlier time when Ash Wednesday and Lunar New Year coincided. As you'll read, she explores the juxtaposition of the sombre tone of this day which marks the beginning of Lent, and the celebratory promise of the New Year. I thought I would share this with you.

Ash Wednesday/Chinese New Year’s

Will there be ashes on my forehead today,

or will there be rejoicing instead,

all dressed in bright, cheerful red

because it is New Year’s Day?

Should there be sobering thoughts of death,

when all of me wants to spread wings and sing

because it’s the first day of a fresh new year

and the coming of a long-awaited spring?

Today

there should be flowers in every home,

smiles on every face,

new clothes on every child

delicacies on every table

as New Year visits are made;

Yet, today,

there should also be

meditation on the state of our souls,

discussion of the state of our faith,

resolves to fast, to abstain, to pray,

even if not everyone

has ashes on their forehead.

Today you see in me

the intersection of two stories:

which should I honour above the other –

my people’s, or my faith community’s?

Do I have to choose?

O God of life as of life’s end,

God of faiths and cultures and everything,

teach me how to be your child:

teach me how to feast, yet not forget the fasting,

how to repent, yet not forget the rejoicing,

how to ponder and pray alone, yet not forget

the visits to every home,

remind my children of this holy season,

yet not forget their red packets too.

For

Ash Wednesday or Chinese New Year’s,

this day/year is still the day/year you made:

let all the world rejoice

and be glad in it.

-------------------------------------------

Written for February 20, 1985, Day 1 of the year of the Ox,

and February 7, 1988, Day 1 of the year of the Dragon

Greer Anne Wenh-In Ng, Toronto and Vancouver

Shared at Lunar New Year Worship Service-Celebration

at Emmanuel College, February 10, 2021 (2 days before the Year of the Ox)

A Promised Land and a President's Faith

We've finished up digging out from under what was the first significant snowfall of 20/21 and even our 15-20 centimetres was not overwhelming. Now, to blog...

I've been thinking about the title of the next stage of former president Barack Obama's ongoing biography. This volume is A Promised Land, and that title certainly invokes the biblical story of the exodus from Egypt by the people of Israel and how they eventually crossed the Jordan River into the land promised to them by God.

I haven't read A Promised Land although I may at some point. I'm an admirer of Obama, and find it refreshing that he is able to pen something more than a misspelled, angry tweet. He is a person of substance and integrity, and a person of Christian faith with what might be described as "generous orthodoxy." He was never a darling of the religious right, as his successor, Donald Trump, inexplicably was, but that was because he had a respect for women and their reproductive choices and a willingness to listen and learn about LGBTQ2 rights. Oh yes, and he is Black. 

I've read that in the book he admits to a certain skepticism about organized religion but has been a Sunday worshiper through the years and valued private prayer. Fair enough, when it comes to religion. It has been weaponized on the American political scene in ways that are abominable and divisive. 

We have already heard and seen how faith matters for recently-elected Joe Biden, who has brought aspects of his Roman Catholicism into speeches. On Sunday Biden signed an executive order reestablishing the White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, an agency which Trump left unstaffed during his tenure. He was probably too busy doing photo ops with evangelical leaders in the Oval Office. 

Here is a faith-related quote from Obama's inauguration in 2009: 

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. … To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West, know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy.”

Family Day in a Pandemic

 

        Come in, come in and sit down,

you are a part of the family.

We are lost and we are found,

and we are a part of the family.

                           Voices United 395

The past three years we were at the home of our older daughter and her husband and children on this Family Day Weekend. They live in the country and have a hill out there back door which is long and steep and amazing for sliding. Their immediate families, and those of friends come together for food, conversation and plenty of play. 

The sliding party happened last year and the 30 to 40 people who gathered were blissfully ignorant of what would unfold over the next twelve months. That was the last time our family would be gathered together because of the pandemic, except for one outside, distanced visit. We've enjoyed "bubbling" with one household for a period of time, and sporadic get-togethers, with one family unit or another but it hasn't been what we once took for granted.

Family Day only began as a statutory holiday in 2008 in Ontario, so its not as though it's a longstanding tradition. Yet it has become a welcome reprieve in the depths of Winter and this year many families are adjusting to the restrictions which will make it difficult to do anything exciting or different.

We also know that many families are feeling exhausted and overwhelmed because children have been attending school online. and parents are often attempting to work from home and oversee education at the same time. Many families which are multi-generational under one roof  are contending with the reality that some members must go out to work and so put elders at risk of contracting COVID. 

Ruth and I yearn to spend in-person, hug-lavish time with our children and grandchildren but aren't doing so for everyone's safety and well-being. But there is a psychological and spiritual toll on all of us. We had an outdoors, distanced walk with one of our families recently and the five-year-old advised us that we had to stay well apart. As we strolled along he reminisced about sleepovers at our place, and wondered if we could all just live together. It was both sweet and heart-breaking that he came back to the topic several times.

I wonder if anyone wrote a prayer which is specifically for Family Day in the midst of a pandemic.  

What might we include, knowing that we can't "come in and sit down"? Health and safety in all circumstances would be priorities. Solace for those who are separated from aging loved ones. Hope for an end to the restrictions on travel to be with children and grandchildren. Stamina and resourcefulness for parents who feel they have nothing left to give, and the "fruits of the spirit" when patience runs out. An opportunity to be part of our faith families, in person, once again, with the support they provide. 

We can also remember to pray for those dear to us each day, when we are tempted to fret about them, and the future.

I hope that this Family Day is meaningful for you, and that you feel the presence of the God of love. 

Make Love, Not War this Valentine's Day

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  

From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, 

which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, 

and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:7-8

"Make Love, Not War" was the slogan that a group of us who are now old and gray remember from the  idealistic and passionate days of our youth. I was too young, but only slightly, to be involved in the protests and marches where banners and buttons with these words were employed, but old enough to appreciate what was unfolding on the streets of our American neighbours. There was a tension reflected in this slogan because those seeking an end to the war in Vietnam and others working toward racial justice felt they were involved in a fight for what was right, but could this happen without violence. Even Dr. King, whose civil rights movement was nom-violent, recognized that  " in the final analysis, a riot is the language of the unheard.'

Today is the celebration of romantic love and it comes as a trial concludes for a US president who incited violence which led to a riot by those who thought they were unheard. His actions were a disgrace, and he clearly used "fight" language to stir up his hapless mob. The defense argument was that it was metaphorical, and that some of his accusers had used similar terms without the assumption that violence would ensue. This was disingenuous, to say the least, and everyone knew it.

Sadly, many of those who stormed Capitol Hill on January 6th claimed to be Christians and engaged in violence which resulted in the deaths of several people.

On this Sunday morning we remind ourselves that we are followers of the Christ who refused violence, even to save himself, and ushered in a reign of love, Through the centuries the disciples of Jesus, beginning with the apostle Paul, have used the language of "fighting the good fight" with the understanding that this was a spiritual battle, not a physical conflict. Paul also speaks about the principalities and powers with which we contend as people of faith:

For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12

On this St. Valentine's Day we can express love to those who are dear to our hearts. We can also ask where and how we engage in the "good fight" for compassion and justice as an alternative to the anger and violence around us in the world. 

1 Fight the good fight with all your might;

Christ is your strength and Christ your right;

lay hold on life, and it shall be

your joy and crown eternally.

4 Faint not, nor fear, God's arms are near;

God changes not and you are dear.

Only believe, and Christ shall be

your all in all eternally.

                                     Voices United 674

A Lenten Bird Census?

Look at the birds, free and unfettered, 

not tied down to a job description, 

careless in the care of God

Matthew 6: 26a The Message

It is -16 Celsius outside as I write this morning, and Southern Ontario is in the midst of an extended "cold snap" as we used to call periods of frigid Winter weather. Now we talk of Polar Vortexes and Alberta Clippers, as though we know what these terms actually mean. 

We are also in the midst of the Backyard Bird Count, which runs from February 12th to 15th. It is described this way:

The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird enthusiasts of all ages around the world in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are. Anyone can participate, from beginners to experts.

We have a bunch of feeders hanging so that we can see them from the warmth of our family room and we're constantly amazed by the resilience of these feathered creatures, There are roughly a dozen species which persist in this climate. As I noted recently, we get three types of woodpecker, two of nuthatch, different finches, cardinals and blue jays. The juncos and chickadees are usually the first to show up in the morning. with the chickadees puffed to twice their normal size. We wish the starlings wouldn't arrive and muscle away the other birds, but they land in, squabble with each other, fill up, and leave. 

I came upon the Mary Oliver poem, below, and I begrudgingly conceded there may be a room in my heart for the starlings, although this sentiment will probably pass quickly. I will soon begin a Lenten study group on the Sermon on the Mount which included Jesus' encouragement to live beyond worry and anxiety, like the birds of the air. Easier said that done? Always, yet by the grace of God, we aspire to this freedom of the spirit. 

I don't really consider the Bird Counts at different times of the year to be aspects of a spiritual discipline, but why not?  The season of Lent begins next Wednesday, Ash Wednesday, and someone else who read the poem online commented:  

 That’s going to be my Lent resolution this year - to be light and frolicsome, and to soar upward without fearing danger.

Black Loyalists in Canada

 

During this Black History Month the Canadian mint has issued a commemorative $20 silver coin which will actually set you back a hundred bucks if you decide to purchase one. Here is the description accompanying the coin, or a portion of it: 

The coin is engraved with the armorial bearings of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society as a tribute to the free and enslaved Black people who re-settled to British North America before, during and after the American War of Independence.During the war, many slaves were offered freedom in exchange for joining the British Army.

After the war, many Black Loyalists established roots in Lower Canada and the Maritime Provinces. However, their promise of a better life went largely unfulfilled and they faced many struggles and hardships.

Those who remained in British North America, despite adversity, helped re-shape Canada's culture and character, and the struggles and achievements of the Black Loyalists and their descendants are an important part of Canadian history.

If you have been reading this blog for a while you'll know that I have been interested in Black history in Nova Scotia over time because we lived in Halifax for a time. I was present  the July morning in 2002 when Sheia Copps named Africville a National Historic site, a moving event.

I read Lawrence Hill's novel The Book of Negroes while vacationing on the South Shore of Nova Scotia and realized that we were only minutes away from Shelburne and Birchtown where thousands of Black Loyalists came for a new life of freedom, only to be exploited. 

The Black Loyalist Heritage Centre at Birchtown is a place to spend hours considering what those immigrants experienced. It was there that I learned about pastor David George who   established a church in Shelburne and became the leader of the Baptist contingent of the  Loyalists. Some whites resented his influence in the community and his house and those of many of his followers were attacked and destroyed in July 1784 by racist mobs in the Shelburne Riots George and his wife moved to nearby Birchtown, but chose to migrate with other Black Loyalists to Freetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa, where the British provided some assistance in setting up a new colony and settlement. 

The commemorative coin doesn't turn my crank, but I'm glad the news about it's issue, prompted me to recall some aspects of Black history in Canada. Here is the link for the Heritage Centre, in case you're interested in learning more. 

https://blackloyalist.novascotia.ca/

The Justice of Paid Sick Days

A group of business owners in Ontario are calling on the Ford government to institute paid sick days for those who may be going to work because they fear the loss of income or employment. Other political parties have been asking for this provision for months now, but they have been ignored. The CBC reports:

According to a news release on Tuesday, the business owners are members of the Better Way Alliance, an organization that describes itself as a growing movement of businesses that support decent wages, paid sick days and fair scheduling laws. 

"Legislating paid sick leave for all workers helps level the playing field for small and mid-sized businesses who are already struggling to compete with bigger, better connected corporations that don't provide decent jobs," the alliance said in the release. 

I listened to one of those owners who has been doing so for his employees because it is both the moral and economic right choice. He and his brother have been supporting their employees in this way for years. They were raised to be ethical and care for others, but they also feel it makes good business sense. Sustaining a stable group of employees who are not anxious about job security is good for the bottom line. 

 I've heard that it costs about $4,000 a day to care for a patient in an intensive care bed in an Ontario hospital. Even at $15 an hour -- above minimum wage -- an employee would make that amount in six weeks, or more. The math tells us that ensuring workers stay home when they're ill rather than end up in an ICU makes sense.

 Surely we can see that we are "cutting off our nose to spite our face" when we deny those who must go to a place of work every day the opportunity for paid sick days. And that it is an ideological choice to be suspicious of the honesty of those who are performing the labour most of us don't want to do. 

As a Christian I feel that ensuring the safety and security of all is consistent with the gospel of Jesus, the Christ. In the end it's  probably good business and good politics as well. 

Remembering the Sabbath

Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work.  But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.                                                                 Exodus 20: 8-11

The US Senate impeachment trial for former president Donald Trump will lurch along to its inglorious end, with little chance of a conviction. A number of Republican senators assured reporters that they wouldn't vote to convict before the trial began, thus indicating that they would not fulfill their oaths to carefully consider presented evidence (please read yesterday's blog about hypocrisy.) 

Trump's legal team is a dog's breakfast which argued, unsuccessfully, that it was unconstitutional to conduct a trial of a president who is no longer in office. It was a Hail Mary opening gambit which failed. God knows what will come next.

A few days ago I was intrigued to see that lawyer David Schoen, who repeatedly demonstrated that he could drink water and pat his head at the same time yesterday, requested that the trial be postponed on Friday evening and Saturday so that he could observe the Jewish Sabbath. According to the New York Times:

One of the lead defense lawyers for Mr. Trump has informed Senate leaders that he is an observant Jew who strictly adheres to the commandment against working on the Sabbath, and thus would be unable to participate in any proceeding that stretched past sundown on Friday or met on Saturday...“I apologize for the inconvenience my request that impeachment proceedings not be conducted during the Jewish Sabbath undoubtedly will cause other people involved in the proceedings,” Mr. Schoen said in the letter. “The practices and prohibitions are mandatory for me, however; so, respectfully, I have no choice but to make this request.”

I could never respect a lawyer who could defend a president who called for insurrection, but I can respect all those who feel compelled to observe their version of a sabbath on religious grounds. And I feel that our society has suffered from not honouring a pause day, whether that be Friday for Muslims, Saturday for Jews, of Sunday for Christians. 

When we lived in Halifax Nova Scotia still observed Sunday closings for businesses. It took some adjusting when we moved there, but I felt that this "old school" practice was actually progressive. I supported the law from the pulpit as steps were underway to get in step with the rest of frenetic Canada and some members of my congregation thought I was loopy. 

So much for the Ten Commandments.This is the most detailed of the commandments and includes the reminder that if God rested after Creation, we too should remember to cease and desist from our labours. Yet this is the one we regularly and enthusiastically ignore. 

In the end  Schoen withdrew this request, for reasons unknown. It is a strange and thought-provoking footnote in what is likely to be an embarrassing defense of a traitor and megalomaniac. See you in court!

A footnote: Schoen covered his head because this is expected of orthodox Jews when they eat or drink. I live, and sometimes I learn. 

Hypocrisy on Trial?

 

                                                                                         

I'm pleased that we already have about a dozen people signed up for our upcoming study of the book Sermon on the Mount by theologian Amy-Jill Levine. Levine is a Jew whose insights into the New Testament are really helpful, and she writes in a way that is accessible. As I read in preparation I feel that I'm an old dog learning new tricks about these three chapters of Matthew which both daunt and inspire me. 

In conjunction with the study group I'm preparing a Lenten daily reading regimen, essentially five minutes with the Sermon on the Mount each day. There will be a question to help ponder the verses for each of the 40 days, none of the passages being all that long. 

I've long known that Jesus warns about hypocrites in this teaching but my eyebrows went up when I realized that he warns against hypocrisy not once but four times. The Greek word from which hypocrite is derived actually means "stage actor" and there is a sense of this in what Jesus says. We're not to swan around making a show of our prayers or our virtue. Jesus asks us to "say what we mean and mean what we say', to use an old saw. 

How appropriate this teaching is as the US senate enters into the impeachment trial of the former president - what's his name? - today. There will be plenty of posturing and bombast and sanctimony in what will probably be more like political theatre than a search for justice. Not surprisingly, there have been articles in both the New York Times and the Globe and Mail in recent days which address hypocrisy in regard to these proceedings and both point out that the ex-president  in not on trial for this sin. Mark Kingwell, whose writing is always thoughtful and often thought-provoking offers this at the end of his Globe piece: 

Hypocrisy is certainly a vice, but it is not the most important one. Lack of character is worthy of contempt, but alas is not a crime. Advocating insurrection, conspiracy, storming a public building, threatening death, destroying property, subverting justice – now those are crimes. They should be prosecuted as such.

This is a curious conclusion from my perspective. It is because hypocrisy has become a political norm and that character no longer matters that justice is subverted. In a country where a weird brand of Christianity is worn on the sleeves of many "patriots", honesty and integrity are on trial, even if implicitly. Surely Jesus is telling us that our inner lives result in the "whited sepulchres" the painted tombs of our actions in the world?

I'm looking forward to the discussion in our Zoom and in-person study group at Trenton UC which begins on February 24th. We may have a trial outcome by then to give a little added spice to the conversation!

Canada's Harriet Tubman

We finally got around to watching the 2019 film, Harriet, which is about the remarkable life of 19th century emancipation hero, Harriet Tubman. She was born into slavery, escaped to the north as a young woman, then returned on a number of occasions to help others make the harrowing journey to freedom. She lived to be 90 or 91, which was a fitting reward for someone so willing to take risks with her own life for the benefit of others.

The film is certainly not bad, but it is a bit lacklustre because it's a hagiography -- O Lord, it's hard to be noble, even when you're a hero in every way. And the fictional aspects of this telling of her life detract from her actual accomplishments. Still, it was good to be reminded of what she did achieve, and there is even a passing scene from her time in Canada, which was a terminus on the Underground Railroad. .

Tubman suffered from "spells" of some kind through much of her life, likely because of a childhood head injury. In the film these trance-like moments are not so much an affliction as an opportunity for God to speak to her and through her. She receives direction and courage for what lies before her. Who knows how accurate this is, but it is meaningful in the film. 

I wanted to see the movie because of recent news that the the congregation Tubman helped found in St. Catherine's, Ontario, has been granted $100,000 by the federal government for much-needed repairs to the historic Salem Chapel building. 

We also heard recently that Harriet Tubman's visage will be on the American $20 bill, something which was supposedly to happen in 2020 but was postponed by the Voldemort administration. I do think it's important to know the story of Harriet Tubman, as a person of faith and of commitment to justice for all. 

A Canadian Superbowl MVP

This is Superbowl Sunday (that's a championship football game) and I've already picked an MVP. My choice is a player for the Kansas City Chiefs, the winning team last year. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is a 29-year-old guard from Quebec who was signed to a five-year, $40 million (USD) contract, which means he's very good at playing his position. Not only is it unusual for a Canadian to play at such a high level in the NFL, Duvernay-Tardif is the first player in league history to qualify as a medical doctor -- well, he still has to complete a residency.

He would be in the big game again today except for the remarkable choice he made last year to take a season away from pro football to work as an orderly at a long-term care facility in Montreal; as his response to the COVID-19 crisis. It was an extraordinary act of generosity and self-giving which deserves our highest respect. 

Just the same, he downplayed his choice during a CBC The Current interview not long ago:  

 He described recognizing the "dedication" and "passion" of one nurse he worked with who regularly pulled overtime or started her shift early, at 4 a.m. "And nobody is there to, like, pat them on the back and say, 'Good job,' or give them awards or [an] opportunity to talk on the radio," Duvernay-Tardif said. "They're doing it because they really care. And so I feel like being humble — or at least trying to — is really the least I can do when I see all those people working like that."

He also observed that "Five years from now, I'm going to be able to look at 2020 and be like, 'Alright, I followed my conviction and I made a move that I'm going to be proud of.' " 

Apparently the Chiefs and Coach Andy Reid have been very supportive, and I hope he can return to football if that's his desire. I'm impressed that the NFL Hall of Fame has some of his nursing home gear in a display for Most Valuable Protectors. 

As a Christian the words of Jesus: "For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it" certainly come to mind. 

Learning to Pray with James Martin & Stephen Colbert

 

Stephen Colbert and Fr, James Martin 

The other night Stephen Colbert of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert had a conservation with Jesuit priest, Father James Martin. Colbert offers humorous and often biting takes on world events and was a fierce critic of Donald Trump. He is also a Christian, a Roman Catholic, who is unapologetic about including his take on faith and religion on his show. He has been interviewed by Father Martin on his Faith in Focus show and Martin has been Colbert's guest several times.

Martin has been an outspoken advocate for LGBTQ2 persons and not surprisingly has ended up being the recipient of lots of anger from some Christians. He has also been received by Pope Francis for open conversation of the topic, and is welcomed by many RC's who are grateful for his message of acceptance and inclusion. 

He has written a new book called Learning to Pray: A Guide for Everyone, and that's what he discussed with Colbert. It's refreshing to hear two Christians chatting about prayer in an intelligent way, without reservation, in such a public forum. Martin offered that there is no one way or right way to pray, which reminded me of the old adage, "pray as you can, not as you can't." He identified a number of prayer approaches as possibilities he addresses in his book. 

I have so many excellent books on prayer that I probably won't purchase this one, but it sounds as though it would be worthwhile, and I'm thankfull for spiritual leaders such as Father Martin. 

Putting Away Anger...Possible?

 It seems that the past few years have been a period of anger and outrage, sparked by past-President Voldemort whose grievances and "othering" were hugely destructive at home and abroad. His impeachment trial is as a result of whipping up the anger of followers who were willing to engage in insurrection, the opposite of patriotism. 

Those of us who enter the murky waters of social media have learned the term "doom-scrolling" which describes making our way through countless messages on Twitter and elsewhere which are the online version of the valley of the shadow of death. This could also be described as "umbrage-scrolling," the build-up of offense and annoyance which often spills out in anger. I often found myself worked up in not-so-righteous indignation about circumstances well beyond anything I could influence. 

I came across this great quote from Frederick Buechner, a favourite author through many decades. As you can see, he describes anger as the Deadly Sin which is the most fun and a "feast fit for a king." He goes on to say that the drawback is that anger is a form of self-cannibalism, leaving us as carcasses.  This is graphic and brilliant. 

The apostle Paul is fairly clear about grudge-holding and anger. making sure we understand that whatever name we use for it, it's toxic. And then those words "forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you."  Could it be much clearer. Forgive...after the impeachment trial...

So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another... Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice,  and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you

                                                        Ephesians 4:25-26, 31-32

Cicely Tyson and Blessed Assurance

                                                                The Trip to Bountiful 

1 Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!  O what a foretaste of glory divine!

Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of the Spirit, washed in Christ's blood.

  This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long;

this is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long.

                              Voices United 337

 We hear about the deaths of just about everyone anymore, the famous, the infamous, and those who never achieved fame. It doesn't really matter where they resided or how out of the spotlight they have been for a period of time, the word gets out there. Often we discover that individuals have led exceptional and influential lives within their fields of endeavour, even when we thought we had an inkling of their careers. Such was the case with actor Cicely Tyson, who died a few days ago at age 96. 

Tysons's screen work came to prominence with a film called Sounder in the early 1970's. She was deeply respected by her peers and those in subsequent generations because of the dignity she brought to roles which featured Black women. She was almost passed over for some of her early films because she was considered too beautiful to be believable. She was seen as a trailblazer and tributes poured in after her death, as age 96, just a few days ago. 

                                                      Cicely Tyson with then husband Miles Davis 

Tyson was interviewed a number of times just before her death because her autobiography Just As I Am had just been published and she was promoting it. She was asked about her perspective on death in a couple of those interviews, including one on CBC radio's Q, and she commented that she wasn't afraid of death because it was something she knew nothing about. 

Still, Tyson was a person of faith, and in the Q interview she requested that the hymn Blessed Assurance rather than Just As I Am be played at the conclusion. It was one of her mother's favourites, and a dedication to her mother and the hymn is on a pew in the church she attended.“To Mother — Blessed Assurance.” When we experience "blessed assurance" we may overcome the fear of death, even though we can't predict the future. Cicely sang Blessed Assurance in a Broadway revival of the play The Trip to Bountiful, and audiences sang along. It's a wonderful image. I'm rather dubious about heavenly choirs,but I hope there is one in which Cicely and her mother are singing together. 

The Interwoven Threads of February 2nd

                                                                                    St. Brigid 

 I was reminded yesterday of how many events and commemorations and birthdays are associated with February 2nd, the most publicized being Groundhog Day. The one I learned about while serving my first pastoral charge decades ago in outport Newfoundland is called Candlemas. In a number of Christian traditions people bring candles to the church to be blessed for use during the rest of the year. Christ is the Light of the World, so the candle-blessing connects the faithful with that light. Few of us actually use candles to illuminate our homes yet the symbolism it powerful

.I'm not sure why folk in my congregations, which were staunchly Methodist in background, and quite suspicious of the "Hanglicans" and "Catlicks" would be aware of this feast day. They were leery of candles on Christmas Eve for that reason!

February 1st /2nd is also Saint Brigid's Day, a Celtic tradition marking the beginning of Spring. Before Brigid was recognized as a Christian saint she was a powerful figure in Celtic pagan faith, and the festival to honour her was called Imbolc.In both traditions she is acknowledged as a resourceful woman, a leader. 

 Here in Canada we know Spring is still a way off, but isn't that what Groundhog Day is about? Imbolc and Brigid's Day fall roughly halfway between the Winter solstice and the Spring equinox, and we are aware that each day there is more light -- two minutes or so. It may be that Candlemas was yet another Christianized pagan celebration, welcomed into the fold, or stolen, depending on your perspective. 

Even though these different events may seem unrelated, there are threads of connection which can be woven together, if we're so inclined. 

Ruth, my wife, likes to have a candle burning as we eat our evening meal. I wonder if we should all endeavour to light a candle of hope, Christ's hope, through these uncertain times?

The Courage of a Lion on Groundhog Day

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: 

for the LORD thy God,...doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

                               Deut 31:6 KJV

 Yes, I realize that this photo is of a lion, not a groundhog. The Rev.Nadia Bolz-Weber is a sort of guerilla Lutheran pastor in Colorado. Her unconventional yet orthodox Christian faith has gained wide appeal, and she posted this photo and prayer on Sunday, which really does speak to our time. Most of us want to live beyond fear, but courage is often elusive. We're not cowards, afraid of our own shadows, but we often feel disoriented and overwhelmed these days. Maybe we should whistle Great is Thy Faithfulness in the dark? 

Give Us Good Courage

Dear God,

I’ve asked for so many things during this ridiculous pandemic: patience, forbearance, peace, safety, forgiveness, and a new season of the Great British Bake-Off.

But I’ve never asked for courage.

So, if courage is something you can give us more of, I think now would be a good time. 

(Or maybe it doesn't work like that; maybe we don't get an extra measure of what we need only when we think to ask for it and ask nicely; like a second helping of gruel from the abusive guy who runs the orphanage.) 

I’m asking for courage because I’ve tried ignoring my fear and that only works for like, 4 minutes. And I’ve tried resisting it but that seems to make my fear stronger like I’m its personal trainer. 

So, give me courage, Lord, to show up in life despite the fear.

Courage to love, despite having been hurt.

Courage to heal, even though I sometimes love my wounds.

Courage to feel lonely and know it will not destroy me.

Courage to clean the kitchen.

Courage to trust that all I have needed, your hand hath already provided.

Amen.

Black History Month in the United Church

 

                                                    Black History Month poster from 2020

This is the first day of Black History Month and I'm pondering what that means in our Canadian context, and for those of us who are Christians. The emergence of the Black Lives Matter movement in the United States last year after the murder by police of George Floyd had repercussions in Canada and countries around the world with protests against racial injustice. 

The United Church of Canada made a commitment to become an anti-racist denomination, to intentionally work toward addressing racial injustice in what has traditionally been a white church. As someone who has spent a lifetime in the UCC , including nearly 40 years in pastoral ministry, I know that issues of racism have been addressed with opposition to apartheid in South Africa, the election of a Black moderator, Wilbur Howard, in 1974, and anti-racism training for clergy. The new General Secretary of the United Church, Rev. Michael Blair, is the first Black person in that position. I sense that there is a greater resolve in this recent initiative, beyond "virtue signalling". I am concerned that  the pandemic restrictions may mean that it is harder to raise awareness without in-person worship and study opportunities. 

                      Wilbur Howard at the 26th General Council in 1974, where he was elected moderator. (Credit: Observer files)

Beginning this month and through 2021 a group of six Black young adults in the UCC will tell their stories and provide leadership for conversation in the church. The introduction to this work offers: 

 It isn’t hard to rhyme off statistics that show racism is alive and well. For example, third-generation Black Canadians make about $32,000 a year compared with the $48,000 earned by those who aren’t a visible minority. While 94 percent of young Black Canadians want to complete a university degree, just 60 percent think it is possible. And Black Canadians are more likely than any other racial group in Canada to be the victims of hate crime, perhaps not surprising considering the last segregated school in Canada didn’t shut its doors until 1983.February is Black History Month. Since 1996, Canadians have set aside this time to recognize the realities faced by people of African descent and honour their contributions.

We can all ask what we might do to become better informed about Black History in Canada, and to examine what may be our racist assumptions. We can also find out what our congregations are planning to do to uphold and honour the stories of Black people in our United Church in this month and through the year.  

Here is the link to a Broadview Magazine article about Wilbur Howard.  

https://broadview.org/the-first-black-moderator-of-the-united-church-faced-racism-that-still-resonates-today/

                                                         Rev Michael Blair -- UCC General Secretary