Does a COP26 Agreement have a Prayer?

 Today is the final day of two weeks for the COP26 climate summit which has taken place in Glasgow, Scotland. Tens of thousands of delegates have attended, as well as thousands more who never made it through the doors of the conference centre but were defiinitely a presence in alternative symposiums and on the streets.

Before the summit begain I assumed that I would be writing regularly about what was unfolding because we are at a critical point for the planet as it heats up, we experience more catastrophic weather events, and biodiversity diminishes. Many jurisdictions around the Earth have declared climate emergencies, so we supposedly recognize the urgency of our situations. Leaders from many nations said the right things in the first few days of COP26 and were long on earnestness and short on plans and targets. 

I found that I was overwhelmed by the volume of news even though I've been deeply interested in these issues for decades. At times it is a challenge to figure out whether there has been any substantive progress and today's CBC headline in not overly encouraging: Nations at odds over how to keep 1.5 C goal alive as UN climate negotiations enter final day. 

While this is not a surprise it is discouraging. One climate activist describes the final, watered down draft statement as "weasel words' used to let wealthier nations off the hook on subsidies to fossil fuel comglomerates. You may have heard that the largest contingent to COP26 is from the fossil fuel industry, a special interest which probably shouldn't be there at all, or at least not with a signficant voice. Why are we providing welfare to companies which have lied to us about their knowledge of climate change for more than 50 years and have extracted untold billions of dollars while they've done so? 

As people of faith and as those who affirm that Jesus, is the Christ, the "first-born of Creation" we can live with both urgency and hope in care for the Earth.  Pope Francis intended to participate in COP26 but those plans changed. He has urged Roman Catholics to pray for the outcome of this day. According to the New York Times: 

“Time is running out,” Francis said. “This occasion must not be wasted, lest we have to face God’s judgment for our failure to be faithful stewards of the world he has entrusted to our care.” 

The summit, the pope said, was meant to address “one of the great moral issues of our time: the preservation of God’s creation, given to us as a garden to be cultivated and as a common home for our human family.”

These are blunt but honest words, and we too can pray for the integrity of Creation. 

What Does Remembrance Mean Today?

Remembrance Day Ceremony Belleville 

 We cycled to the cenotaph this morning for the Remembrance Day ceremony, an opportunity we couldn't pass up given that some years November 11th is wintry. Last year we observed the eleventh hour of the eleventh month in Ottawa, albeit on TV. Why weren't we at the cenotaph? Ah yes, COVID. 

Today there were several hundred people on hand, although not the numbers of gatherings before the pandemic. People were observing a reasonable distance and our national anthem was canned music rather than sung by participants. 

I had mixed feelings this year, although the gratitude was there, as always. Both our fathers served during WW2 so when the old veterans salute I get a lump in my throat. There were prayers as well, and a scriptural reminder that there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for a friend. 

I think that an opportunity was missed though in this year when flags which had been at half mast because of the discovery of the unmarked graves of Indigenous residential school children were raised prior to Remembrance Day, then lowered again this moring. I wish that this had been acknowledged in some way and that there was mention of Indigenous veterans. Apparently that did happen in nearby Trenton. Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory is nearby and while they had their own ceremony it would have been good to have a representative here to remind us of the 300+ members of the reserve who served during the two world wars. 

This past Sunday morning our two Trenton grandkids told us that the following day, this Monday, was Indigenous Veterans Day, something I was probably aware of in the recesses of my mind but hadn't considered. They attend a French Roman Catholic school which is impressively inclusive in many ways.

Speaking of inclusivity, I was struck as well that it was two Christian pastors who took part this morning without recognition of other religious traditions. They fulfilled their duties with dignity but perhaps the day has come to widen the perspective in our pluralistic society. 

Francis Pegahmagabow was a Canadian First Nations soldier, politician and activist. He was the most highly decorated Indigenous soldier in Canadian military history and the most effective sniper of the First World War. 

Study Groups are Holy Ground

 

I've returned home from Trenton United where I conducted the second of two study sessions on the relationship between Christians and Muslims using the excellent United Church resource called That We May Know Each Other as our foundation, with plenty of additional and topical material. During the pandemic I've offered study groups of varying lengths and on a number of subjects including one on Jewish roots of the Sermon on the Mount and another on prayer. 

I'm always impressed by the willingness of people to participate and their excellent insights into our subjects. I may be the teacher but I'm also a learner, both in my preparation and as I listen to perspectives which often haven't occurred to me. There is so much wisdom and spiritual depth amongst United Church folk! There are newcomers to these groups most times but a fair number of "usual suspects" as well. I've enjoyed getting to know people at Trenton UC in this way.

As with most things churchy the pandemic has presented challenges for study participation and discussion. One study group was entirely online during deepest, darkest lockdown, but the others have been an in-person/online hybrid. It's odd to have several members of the group on a screen while others are in the room. And those who are physically present are physically distanced and wearing masks.Often I'm repeating what someone has offered so that others can hear, always hoping I got it right. What we once took for granted in terms of sitting around a table or in a comfortable circle went out the COVID window.

We think of joining together for worship as holy, but study groups and discussions are holy ground as well. My spirit is uplfited in the presence of others seeking understanding and growth in the Christian life. Now, what next?...

A Meal Ministry & King of the Road

 

Yesterday, Ruth, my wife, did her weekly shift with the lunch program at Bridge St. United Church here in Belleville. She has missed perhaps three or four Monday's in the past year and is part of a wonderful group of committed volunteers who were there even when there were no vaccines.  During the 20 months of the pandemic this program has offered nutritious lunches every single day, including holidays such as Christmas and Easter with the average currently at about 100 guests per day.

The temptation would be to consider this to  be a grim reminder of the inequities of our society with the sad stories of those who ae reduced to standing in line for a meal to make ends meet. Yet Ruth speaks regularly of the folk who express gratitude every time, and who engage in snippets of friendly conversation. They far outnumber the handful of grumps and those whose mental health of substance abuse issues cause them to be a little unpredictable. 

She also shares with me the moments of humour. Some of the guests are fun-loving and funny. Yesterday a guy who regularly sings in line got to the table with the three volunteers and launched into King of the Road, the 1960's hit by Roger Miller. He sang the first line and pointed at the women who to his surprise knew the words and sang the next line. They made their way through the first couple of verses of the song together, then he was on his way with a sandwich and soup.

Jesus was remarkable during his ministry in that he put aside dogma and doctrine to be present to those who approached him with many needs in body, mind and spirit. And, yes, he had a sense of humour -- think about the camel going through the eye of an needle. We are in this human endeavour together, and both music and a chuckle can be part of the spiritual journey. 

Trailer for sale or rent
Rooms to let, 50 cents
No phone, no pool, no pets
I ain't got no cigarettes

Ah, but two hours of pushing broom
Buys a eight by 12 four-bit room
I'm a man of means, by no means
King of the road

Sabbath & The Right to Disconnect

 

                                                                          from the Toronto Star

 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

On the weekend I listened to a CBC Radio Fresh Air interview with Bianca Boyd, Chief Operations Officer for Edelman Advertising, explains why her company has a policy against contacting employees after hours. The segment was related to the proposed "right to disconnect" legislation in Ontario which would prohibit companies with a threshold number of employees from requiring workers to essentially work when they weren't officially on the clock. Edelman Adverstising instituted this policy in 2013 and even though they are in a high pressure industry with deadlines it has been successful. Boyd offered that the disconnect for employees, including herself, allowed them to be just as productive while reducing burnout. 

As it turned out, we were meeting our younger daughter and her partner after the church service yesterday, and they both work for companies which are good employers but often have expectations to work beyond the parameters of a regular work day. We camped with them this past summer on an island to which we paddled in canoes. Both spent time addressing situations at work through their "smart" phones which so many of us have come to realize are stupid and demanding connection devices which we simply can't live withouit anymore, or so we think.

For the past three thousand years people of the Judeo/Christian tradtion have been aware of the divine mandate to "cease and desist" not as a suggestion but a commandment. The notion is that God disconnected to savour the excellent work of Creation, so as part of that creation we should as well.

Attending worship on a Sunday, or Saturday, or Friday, depending on tradition, may seem quaint or achaic, but isn't it the original "right to disconnect"? When we go to church we have that period of time that is God-focussed and labour-free. Ya, ya, I know I'm retired, but surely those who lead far more hectic lives need an oasis of tranquility and reflection. We'll see if anything comes of this legislation, and in the meantime we can hope for more forward-thinking companies such as Edelman. Everyone needs a sabbath. 

Remembering our "Saint" Margaret

                                                                   Margaret Emily (Farmer) Mundy

 We'll soon make the drive to Trenton for Sunday morning worship, and during the service we'll acknowledge those "saints" from our family of faith who have died in the past year. This is a poignant morning for us because it is the third anniversary of the death of our mother, Margaret Mundy, at the ripe old age of 92 years, 10 months. Mom had been living with dementia for a while but still knew her two sons and we were at her side when she slipped from this life to the next. 

Mom was a person of deep faith and resurrection hope so despite our loss we were grateful that she moved past the shadow world of dementia into the light of Christ. She grew up in the Salvation Army and served as an officer before leaving to become part of the United Church. While living in Toronto as a single woman she found her way back to a SA community with friends from her early years. In her obituary we described her death as "gently promoted to glory", a nod to that background. 

Two of the  lectionary readings today are about valorous women of faith, a rarity in the lectionary. One passage is from the book of Ruth, the climate refugee,  an intimate story of loyalty, faith, and new beginnings. The gospel lesson is about an unnamed woman, a widow who is noticed and honoured by Jesus because she is generous despite her poverty. Both were vulnerable, perhaps considered inconsequential in their societies, yet still remembered. The gospel passage is a excellent story for our personal remembrance because Margaret was a very generous person to her family and the causes she supported even though she lived modestly. 

My mother overcame a host of challenges including the sudden death of her mother when she was in her teens and starting over after divorce. As sons we admired her immensely and for us she was a model of the Christian life well lived. She was a saint in the best sense of that term and she will be in my heart and mind this morning. 

Youth Climate Prophets at COP26

                                                      Greta Thunberg in Glasgow 

Do not let me hear Of the wisdom of old men, but rather of their folly, Their fear of fear and frenzy, their fear of possession, Of belonging to another, or to others, or to God. The only wisdom we can hope to acquire Is the wisdom of humility: humility is endless. T.S. Eliot

 You probably know about Fridays for Future, the global movement of young people drawing attention to the Climate Emergency for Planet Earth, It began when 15-year-old Swedush teen , Greta Thunberg ditched school one Friday for a solitary vigil in front of the parliament building. Improbably (prividentially) her protest has taken hold amongst youth around the world with millions participating in rallies, including half a million in Montreal a couple of years ago. 

Greta is in Glasgow for the COP26 climate summit and yesterday, a Friday, thousands took to the streets as a challenge to leaders who are supposed to be making decisions for the wellbeing of all living beings, including humans. In her address to the crowd Greta declared the summit already a failure, in part, I imagine, because the G20 leaders of wealthy nations had already backed away from some ambitious proposals and neither China nor India have been represented by their heads of government. China, India, and the United States have not committed to a significant reduction in the use of coal, which largely negates the willingness of other nations to do so. 

Canada has made the right noises about reducing coal consumption domestically but Canada exports 15 to 18 million tonnes of thermal coal each year, an amount that has the potential to produce 33 to 40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide each year. 

                                                 Fridays for Future Climate March during COP26

I'm glad that these young people are so vocal and understand in ways that their supposed elders don't that there is an urgency to the issues of climate change which requires action beyond vague, targetless statements. Greta may be correct, as jarring as her statement was, midway through COP26. There are more climate rallies today in different cities and many of the participants will be young. 

 As I've said before, Thunberg and other youth are the uncomfortably honest prophetic voices for our time. They have been scorned and derided by politicians, including former US president Voldemort, but Jesus did say that prophets do not always receive the honour they deserve. Is the God of Creation speaking through them? 

                                                    Climate Rally in Belfast, Ireland, today

Diwali & Listening Across Faiths

                                                       Diwali Celebration -- Belleville Market Square 

Nearly a month ago there was a gathering in Market Square in Belleville to celebrate the Hindu festival called Diwali, anticipating what was the actual date of November 4th, which was yesterday.  We were out of town, otherwise we would probably have attended,  but there were upwards of 300 people on hand to take part in what was the first such celebration in our small city of 50,000.

 Diwali is one of the biggest festivals in India and observed across religions. People clean their homes, decorate every corner with lights, lamps, flowers, and candles. Families also perform what's called Lahshimi Puja nd pray to the goddess of wealth to bless them with health, wealth, and prosperity.

I am a Chistian and not a polytheist, so my outlook of faith is not the same as Hindus. Still, I've had interesting and mutually respectful conversations with Hindus through the years. Nearly forty years ago I was on a flight from St. John's Newfoundland to a job interview in Ontario. The person sitting next to me was a civil servant who was originally from India. When he found out I was a United Church minister he shared that his children attended a United Church Sunday School because the group of  Hindus in St.John's was small and he wanted them to have a sense of religious connunity. I was a bit surprised and impressed at the same time. Through the years I'm come to realize that cross-cultural and interfaith understanding is essential to a healthy society and doesn't require me to compromise my own faith. 

In 2016 the United Church published an educational document alled Honouring the Divine in Each Other, one of a series of studies which included Jewish/Christian and Muslim/Christian dialogue. I've included the link here. I sense that not many congregations have used these well-prepared documents for conversation along the way, but I'm glad that they exist and they reflect our ethos as a denomination. In a world of so much religious strife it's important to uphold the ways in which we can find common ground and understanding. 

Here is the link: 

https://united-church.ca/sites/default/files/study_honouring-divine-each-other.pdf

Indigenous Voices at COP26

Activists hold a memorial at Cop26 for the 1,005 environmental defenders murdered since the Paris agreement. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The Guardian

Long before my people journeyed to this land your people were here, and you received from your Elders an understanding of creation and of the Mystery that surrounds us all that was deep, and rich, and to be treasured. 

We did not hear you when you shared your vision. In our zeal to tell you of the good news of Jesus Christ we were closed to the value of your spirituality. We confused Western ways and culture with the depth and breadth and length and height of the gospel of Christ...

                       United Church of Canada Apology to Indigenous Peoples 1986 (continued below)

 When the United Church of Canada made it's first apology to Indigenous peoples in 1986 a recognition of colonization was key to the message. Christian denominations around the world have been coming to grips with their roles in imposing European culture and values on Indigenous peoples, including the mindset of rampant resource exploitation which has contributed to the current climate crisis. It is only in the past few years that we are recognizing that Indigenous practices and spirituality honoured Creator and Creation and that the misrepresentation of the biblical message undermined caring for the Earth and put ecosystems at peril.

Currently thousands of national leaders and representatives from a multitude of organizations are in Glasgow, Scotland, for the climate summit known as COP26. So are members of Indigenous communities from around the the world who want to be heard as they challenge assumptions about how to address the climate emergency. Here are a couple of paragraphs from coverage by The Guardian yesterday: 

.Activists in Glasgow reject ‘big business’ approach to climate crisis as they commemorate murdered land defenders

 As world leaders inside the Cop26 conference centre in Glasgow boasted about pledges to slash greenhouse gas emissions and end deforestation, indigenous delegates gathered across the river Clyde to commemorate activists killed for trying to protect the planet from corporate greed and government inaction.

At least 1,005 environmental and land rights defenders have been murdered since the Paris accords were signed six years ago, according to the international non-profit Global Witness. One in three of those killed were indigenous people.

The dead include Berta Cáceres, winner of the prestigious Goldman prize for environmental defenders, who was shot dead at her home in Honduras in March 2016 for opposing the construction of an internationally financed dam on a river considered sacred by her Lenca people.

Not only do nations need to address the issues of justice and safety for Indigenous land defenders, we can develop the humility which admits that we have made a mess of the environment with our mindset of plunder. Discovering how Indigenous spirituality cab be incorporated into our practices is essential. 

We imposed our civilization as a condition of accepting the gospel. We tried to make you be like us and in so doing we helped to destroy the vision that made you what you were. As a result, you, and we, are poorer and the image of the Creator in us is twisted, blurred, and we are not what we are meant by God to be. 

We ask you to forgive us and to walk together with us in the Spirit of Christ so that our peoples may be blessed and God’s creation healed.

  from the United Church of Canada Apology to Indigenous Peoples 1986

The United Church is Singing!...soon

 

Then Let Us Sing!...maybe!...someday!....depending on who you talk to!.

The United Church of Canada has let us know about an initiative called Then Let Us Sing which will bring together musical resources for our denomination in an unprecedented way along with encouraging hymn and chorus writing. This will be what is desribed as a portal to existing musical resources and those which are being written and developed.

It may seem that the timing is a little off given that many congregations have just returned to in-person worship and lots of them aren't singing yet. The news release suggests a running start for this project with a launch date ot three years from now. I should mention that our congregation, Trenton United, resumed in-person worship at the end of May and decided to allow singing behind our masks. As odd as it seemed at first it was so meaningful to bring words and melody together as acts of individual and corporate praise. Yes, we were worshipping when we weren't allowed to sing, but this was so liberating.

In a Groundling blog back in January I wondered why there are so few hymns which praise the season of winter and two of you offered thoughtful ideas about possible music. Perhaps I should attempt to come up with a couple of verses as a response to the Then Let Us Sing initiative. Here is the info blurb to inspire all of you. 

Then Let Us Sing! is a new online musical portal, available in the fall of 2024. It will contain most of the pieces you’ve come to love from Voices United, More Voices, and Nos voix unies, plus a growing collection of NEW music. This digital platform will provide copyright cleared to all available hymns for print, projection, and streaming.

This resource is an investment in the faith formation and spiritual health of our United Church. It will provide adaptable tools to worship and music leaders, strengthen our ecumenical relationships, and introduce new music regularly to make this a living resource.

Here is the website https://thenletussing.ca/

Loss, Love & Hope on the Day of the Dead

 

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,  looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.

                                                  Hebrews 12:1-2 NRSV

Our two Trenton grandchildren are in French school, which means that we are regularly in awe of their skills in a language we spent years supposedly learning in the public system, to no avail. They enjoy quizzing us on French words and are pleasantly surprised when we translate them correctly. They have little conversations about bodily functions en francais which we are alerted to by the giggling. 

This is also a Roman Catholic school which recognizes certain religious holidays. On the weekend they were telling us that Dia de los Muertos was coming up  today, successfully venturing into Spanish. Along with the Day of the Dead this is All Souls Day, and both traditions honour the dearly departed, remembering and cherishing those we have loved and lost. The Day of the Dead is very much part of Mexican culture and generally more playful or joyous, with humorous stories shared about those who have moved from this life to the next. Our conversation meandered around to the wonderful animated film Coco, which uses the theme of the Day of the Dead to tell a story of loss and hope. 

Years ago at this time  took part in a seminar at Ghost Ranch, a Christian retreat and conference centre in New Mexico. There were a couple of what seemed like garish and macabre altars to celebrate Dia de los Muertos until I asked a few questions. 

I think it's lovely that the grandkids are learning about these traditions because we are part of a society which doesn't address death and grief all that well. Whether this is All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead, we can recall our loved ones with all their foibles and strengths, don't you think? And we can affirm the "cloud of witnesses" as people of resurrection hope. 

A Sugar High & All the Saints

 

1 For all the saints, who from their labours rest, 

all who by faith before the world confessed,

your name, O Jesus, be forever blest. Hallelujah, hallelujah!

We had fun trick-or-treating with two of our grandchildren last evening. They are still at that stage where they can hardly believe that they get so much loot for free and race from house to house in the quest for more.

Our secular, sugar-high  Halloween is the remnant of  All Hallows Eve in the Christian calendar while today is All Saints and tomorrow is All Souls. The three days are a recognition of the fleeting nature of our earthly existence, the "thin place" between this life and the next, and the cherishing of those "saints and souls" who have gone before us.

Recently I saw an article about the death of a long-time friend and colleague of former pope, Benedict, and his response to the news of his passing.  You may recall that Benedict took the unprecedented step of resigning from the papacy and was succeeded by current Pope Francis. Benedict is now in his 90's as was his friend. Accorading to a Crux article Benedict wrote to the abbot of the friend's monastery:

Of all my colleagues and friends, he was the closest to me. His joyfulness and his deep faith always attracted me,” Benedict said.“Now he has reached the afterlife, where certainly many friends await him,” he said, adding, “I hope that I may join them soon.

I was no fan of Benedict as pope but his response to a personal loss is touching. How many of us as Christians who live in resurrection hope wonder what the afterlife will be like and whether we will be reunited with those we have loved and lost?  In congregations I have served we've acknowledged those who died in the past year on a designated  All Saints/Souls Sunday in November. It has been a moving experience, particularly for those whose loved ones are amongst those named. 

Whether we have total confidence that one day we will be reunited with loved ones, or live with a mixture of uncertainty and hope, we need comfort and a sense that all lives are cherished and not forgotten. 

God be with all of you who are experiencing the poignancy of loss and desire to affirm the mystery and promise of the resurrection in Christ Jesus. 

3 O blest communion, fellowship divine! We feebly struggle, they in glory shine;

yet all are one within your great design. Hallelujah, hallelujah!

The Tower of Babel & the COP26 Climate Summit

 

Now the whole earth had one language and the same words... 

The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built.  And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.  Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.

                                        from Genesis 11 NRSV

I have been thinking all day about the beginning of the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow  It's been suggested that this is the "now or never" opportunity to address the climate emergency, although that was suggested about Paris (2015) and Kyoto (1997) and Rio de Janeiro (1992). It seems that just about the only thing we can collectively commit ourselves to substantively is that there is an urgency to the crisis, Even when we develop an accord (Paris) or protocol (Kyoto) or declaration (Rio) we watch global emmissions of CO2 rise and weather patterns become more unpredictable and volatile.The trouble with normal is it always get worse. 

Just before COP26 got underway G20 leaders gathered and issued a climate change statement which didn't promise any new targets despite UN reports that we are on the brink of disaster. What is the point of the next two weeks in Glasgow when those wealthy nations are so mealy-mouthed and China won't even show up at the table.

Do I sound discouraged and cynical? I actually do hope that I am totally wrong about what will unfold during these deliberations. 

I walked in the woods this morning and prayed for a reverse Tower of Babel movement of the Holy Spirit, the divine breath or wind. You may know the story in Genesis of a people who in their arrogance decide to build a monumental tower which reaches to the heavens. God punishes their hubris by confusing their common language

My hope is that humanity will come down from the "summit" of hubris with humility and discover a common language in the midst of so many differing outlooks, for the benefit of all creatures on the planet and the web of Creation.  

What do Dune and Trenton United Have in Common?

 Neither sci-fi nor fantasy are genres of books or films which appeal to me, so the enthusiasm around the new adaptation of  Frank Herbert's Dune has largely sailed past me. Our daughter who has a strong background in film studies is eager to see it so we may as well -- someday. 

I was intrigued to read that Herbert wrote the original Dune novel in 1965 he included Arabic and Muslim motifs. In a Religion News Service piece Amir Hussain, a cultural critic and professor of theological studies at Loyola Marymount University. says that 

...as a kid growing up in the 1970s, he was personally drawn to Dune’s Islamic themes. “You have to understand, there weren’t Muslim ideas and storylines on television or in movies. Then, there was this book of science fiction that for myself, as a Muslim minority, I was able to see my culture, Islamic culture, as one of the sources for inspiration and being represented in a positive way.”

While we live in a much more multl-cultural society than the 1960's I have the sense that most of us have a limited understanding of Islam, and there are anti-Muslim stereotypes and fears which result in aggression and even violence from a few.

Next Wednesday I'll offer the first of two morning sessions through Trenton United looking at Muslim/Christians relations. After the cowardly murder of a Muslim family in London, Ontario in June of this year Canadians were shocked that this could happen in our country, even though there have been many incidents of Islamaphobia through the years.It seemed appropriate to delve into the historical and current relationship between religions and cultures. We 

We will use the United Church study document called That We May Know Each Other which was proposed in 1996 and developed in the early 2000's. As I've read it I'm impressed by how thorough and thoughtful it is and that this was first explored before the terrible events of 911. 

Once again, this will be a hybrid in-person and virtual study so you're welcome to join us wherever you may be. Here is the Trenton UC contact info: 

For the regular work and life and work of the congregation you can reach Rev. Isaac at imundy@trentonunited.ca or at 613 392 6001 ext. 22. 

Our Administrative Assistant, Catherine Lariviere can be reached Monday to Friday from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm at 613-392-6001 ext. 21 or at office@trentonunited.ca

The Pope's in the Mail

The Pope is in the mail, so to speak. Pope Francis has announced that at the behest of bishops he will come to Canada as part of efforts toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples. While this has been necessary and ignored for decades there is a new focus and urgency  following the discovery this summer of hundreds of potential burial sites at former church-run residential schools. No date has been given, so we will wait and see how this unfolds. .

I have expressed what may have seemed to be cynicism about the responses of the Roman Catholic church to this shameful history with Indigenous peoples, largely because there have been a series of broken promises and avoidance of responsibility along the way. Other denominations, including the United Church, have certainly been complicit in the institiutions which attempted to eradicate Indigenous culture but have made attempts toward reconciliation, including financial compensation. 

I listened to two Indigenous women yesterday, both of whom are leaders and both from families which have experienced intergenerational traumas because of the institutions. They feel that if Pope Francis does come he must apologize in a transparent and sincere manner. He must insist that all relevant documents related to the schools be released. And there must be a public commitment to financial reparations which included and goes beyond the $30 million recently pledged by the Catholic bishops of Canada. 

In December a delegation of Indigenous leaders is heading to Rome to ask Francis to issue an apology in Canada. Perhaps by then a date will be set. One of the women noted that Francis is "willing" to visit Canada. She noted that she is willing to travel around the world, but that doesn't mean it's going to happen. I laughed in appreciation of her wry observation knowing that this isn't funny. I hope God gives a sense of urgency to the pontiff and the Roman Catholic church in moving toward reconciliation. 

Life, Leaf-blowers, & Locusts

 

Hear this, O elders, give ear, all inhabitants of the land! 

Has such a thing happened in your days or in the days of your ancestors?

 Tell your children of it,  and let your children tell their children,
    and their children another generation.

What the swarming locust left,   the hopping locust has eaten, 

, 

and what the hopping locust left, the destroying locust has eaten.

Joel 1:2-4

Hear O Belleviille, if you can hear above the din. In the beauty of the Autumn the leaf-blowers have swarmed the burbs causing all to scatter before them, onto the streets and neigbours yards. The leaves are vanquished, and so too are the humans. 

If you have indulged me through the years of this blog you'll be all too aware that I despise leaf-blowers and their evil companions leaf-suckers. They are the high-pitched machines which ruin the peace and quiet of those who live anywhere within ten blocks...I may exaggerate slightly. Even though we can remember the day when a rake or two would be sufficient for Fall leaves every household must have one now. 

We have several people living in close proximity who head out at least once a day, and some twice. One of them begins in April (I kid you not) and is out there every...damn...day. I have said aloud to Ruth that I'm tempted to bag up leaves from our yard and scatter them on their properties in the night. What holds me back? The possibility of security cameras. 

 Enter a New York Times opinion piece in which celebrated writer Margaret Renkl bemoans the plague-like spread of these machines. Gas powered models can have the approximate noise level of a plane taking off and whose inefficient engines spew fumes equivalent to a pick-up truck. She even uses a biblical image, the swarms of locusts which show up here and there to speak of God's displeasure with those who are unfaithful:

They come in a deafening, surging swarm, blasting from lawn to lawn and filling the air with the stench of gasoline and death. I would call them mechanical locusts, descending upon every patch of gold in the neighborhood the way the grasshoppers of old would arrive, in numbers so great they darkened the sky, to lay bare a cornfield in minutes. But that comparison is unfair to locusts.Grasshoppers belong here.

What is my problem, you ask? A desire for some window in each day for tranquility and a vain hope that we could establish an "acoustical commons" where noise does not prevail at all times. 

I keep wondering when noise polluiton will become more of an issue in municipalities where the levels of sound continue to rise. I do feel that we have the right to "hear ourselves think" and -dare I say it - that is a physical health and spiritual health issue. 

Our ears matter and so do our spirits. Bring on the snowblowers!

Who Came First, Brendan or Leif?

 A Viking replica ship arrives in the fishing village of L'Anse aux Meadows, in Newfoundland, on July 28, 2000.SHAUN BEST/REUTERS

We have notions of the Vikings as a rowdy, pillaging lot who laid waste to just about everywhere they came ashore from their dreaded longboats. With time we've come to realized that this isn't the full picture of Viking culture but there is no doubt that they were courageous explorers. In my school days I learned that Erik the Red and Leif the Lucky ventured to Greenland (Erik) and North America (Leif). We were taught that they "discovered" these lands, a bit of oversell given that they were already occupied by Indigenous peoples. 

                                                         L'Anse Aux Meadows National Historic Site

I began my ministry in Newfoundland, which was the landfall for Erik so I always pay attention to stories related to the L 'Anse Aux Meadows Viking settlement. A few days ago we were informed that science has established that these settlers arrived exactly 1,000 years ago. Here is a bit from the Globe and Mail article:

Scientists on Wednesday said a new type of dating technique using a long-ago solar storm as a reference point revealed that the settlement was occupied in 1021 AD, exactly a millennium ago and 471 years before the first voyage of Columbus. The technique was used on three pieces of wood cut for the settlement, all pointing to the same year.

One more reasons to take all those Christopher Columbus statues down and and forget about the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria. 

While we don't have any definitive proof of earlier European voyages to the so-called New World there is also the intriguing story of St. Brendan the Navigator, a 5th/6th century Irish monk who set out with a small crew in a leather boat for parts unknown. It has long been thought that the text known as the Voyage of St. Brendan, is a work of fiction but in the 1970's Tim Severin and crew set sail in an oxhide boat made in the traditional way with the goal of sailing the Atlantic. They eventually landed in a small community in Newfoundland just down the shore from the outport where we lived only a few years later. 

Did Brendan and his crew scoop the Vikings by a few centuries?  We'll never know for certain, but it is intriguing. I imagine that the Indigenous peoples of the continent wished the whole lot were lost on the highs seas, or at the very least made a U-turn. 

A New Vision for the United Church?

 

The Vision of The United Church of Canada as approved by the 43rd General Council at its meeting on Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021).

This tweet arrived on Sunday without any explanation or background. Why is General CounciI, the national part of our country-wide denomination issuing a vision statement at this juncture of our life together? read it and by and large agreed with it because I certainly want to be hopeful and daring and spiritual within the context of the United Church. It took a bit of pondering to come up with why I wasn't altogether enthused by what I read. It seemed as though the God aspect of our vision was given short shrift, a total of seven words, before moving on, and those few words felt more unitarian than trinitarian. Isn't the God stuff why we are about the other stuff, and isn't it important to affirm that our faith is the mystery of God, three-in-one?

I mused a bit more and came up with: Called by the Creator God, as disciples of the living Christ, animated by the Holy Spirit... and then off to the races we go.

All may be revealed as time goes on, and I'll look forward to hearing about what has inspired this latest vision statement. In the meantime I'm inclined toward the Statement of Faith which first saw the light of day back in 1968, has undergone some important tweaks and additions, and which has lots of vision within its phrases, thanks be to God:

We are not alone,
    we live in God’s world.

 We believe in God:
    who has created and is creating,
    who has come in Jesus,
       the Word made flesh,
       to reconcile and make new,
    who works in us and others
       by the Spirit.

We trust in God. 

We are called to be the Church:
    to celebrate God’s presence,
    to live with respect in Creation,
    to love and serve others,
    to seek justice and resist evil,
    to proclaim Jesus, crucified and risen,
       our judge and our hope.

In life, in death, in life beyond death,
    God is with us.
We are not alone.

    Thanks be to God.

A New Creed is a brief and well-loved affirmation of faith used widely in our worship (1968; rev. 1980, 1995).

Do Choirs & Choral Music Have a Future?

 

                                                Norwich Cathedral Choir welcome Dippy the Dinosaur 

We made the half-hour drive to participate in worship yesterday with our home congregation of Trenton United. We continue to observe COVID-19 protocols as a family of faith, with masks, distancing, sign-ins and saniitziing. Our personal exception is that we now sit with our daugther-in-law and two youing grandchildren. The collective change is that we have been singing for a few months now, although it feels a bit strange to be warbling with a mask on. This simple addition to our worship experience which involves both vocalizing and hearing others doing so has been encouraging. 

During the service I thought about an episode of a BBC radio program called The Listening Service which I happened upon. It is called The timeless power of contemporary choral music. It covers a lot of ground in 29 minutes, looking back to the flowering of choral music in centuries past then pondering the extraodinary, dare we say mystical effect of blending human voices in contemporary music. The host points out that there are something like 25,000 choirs in Great Britain and that choral singing is second only to sports as a group activity. The episode is brilliant in  exploring the power of singing together, and that even intentionally dissonant vocal music can be a sort of intimate sonic embrace, or hug. 

Even before the pandemic so many churches in North Amercia were on the verge of being Cheshire Cat congregations, nothing much left but the grin -- or grimace. Needless to say, where congregations have dwindled so have choirs. Not only do many congregations no longer have choirs they can't find accompanists either. Some use recorded music for hymn-singing. Who knows what will happen when or if congregations come back together. 

The BBC piece notes that secular choral music does have a contemplative, transcendent, spiritual quality and often these choirs seeks out less conventional venues which will be cathedral-like. Think of the pop-up Choir!Choir!Choir! gathering to sing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah at the decommisioned Hearn Power Plant in Toronto. That recording brings tears to my eyes because Cohen is drawing on the biblical story of King David yet many of the ecstatic singers may have been unaware of the connection. 

I can't do justice to the depth and range of this episode, so give it a listen. I always welcome your thoughts on subjects, so feel free to comment. I've also included the link to an Eric Whitacre virutal choir with more than 17,000 voices from 129 countries. Brilliant. 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0010nx4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InULYfJHKI0

https://torontolife.com/culture/watch-rufus-wainwright-and-a-1500-person-choir-sing-hallelujah-in-an-abandoned-power-plant/

                                                       Hearn Power Plant Toronto