Get Behind Me Brain Rot!

 

I could while away the hours Conferrin' with the flowers,
Consulting with the rain;
And my head I'd be a scratchin' While my thoughts are busy hatchin'
If I only had a brain.

I'd unravel ev'ry riddle for my Individdle
In trouble or in pain
With the thoughts that you'll be thinkin' You could be another Lincoln
If you only had a brain.

Oh, I, could tell you why The oceans near the shore
I could think of things I'd never
Thunk before,
And then I'd sit down and think some more.

I would not be just a muffin', My head all full of stuffin',
My heart all full of pain;
And perhaps I'd deserve you and be Even worthy even you
If I only had a brain.

Is there anyone who can't recall the scarecrow from The Wizard of Oz, the character who goes on a quest for a brain along with Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, and, of course, Toto?  They even sang about it on their perilous pilgrimage to find the mysterious Wizard. 

Perhaps this should be our collective anthem as our world seems stunningly short on brainpower these days, on just about every front. So much for our evolved species. The phrase "deep dive" has become part of our jargon for more thoughtful exploration of a subject  yet we seem content to splash around in the shallows, for the most part.

Speaking of jargon, the Oxford University Press has chosen "brain rot" as word of the year for 2024. This looks like two words to me, but I quibble. Here is an excerpt from their rationale: 

Why ‘brain rot’?‘Brain rot’ is defined as “the supposed deterioration of a person’s mental or intellectual state, especially viewed as the result of overconsumption of material (now particularly online content) considered to be trivial or unchallenging. Also: something characterized as likely to lead to such deterioration”...

The first recorded use of ‘brain rot’ was found in 1854 in Henry David Thoreau’s book Walden, which reports his experiences of living a simple lifestyle in the natural world. As part of his conclusions, Thoreau criticizes society’s tendency to devalue complex ideas, or those that can be interpreted in multiple ways, in favour of simple ones, and sees this as indicative of a general decline in mental and intellectual effort: “While England endeavours to cure the potato rot, will not any endeavour to cure the brain-rot – which prevails so much more widely and fatally?”

Through the years I've wondered about this rot in faith discourse as well, including on Sunday mornings. How could so many millions of people seem so, well, brainless, when it comes to connecting the Gospel to their daily actions? Why do some of the most popular preachers in the world seem more like entertainers than "deep divers" into the message of scripture? I am grateful for our Sunday morning experience each week now that I am a pew dweller. 

This was regularly a cause for pause while I was in active congregational ministry and I tried to resist the temptation to make sermons shorter and lighter in order to make them more engaging. Faith formation through study groups was important as well, and still is in retirement. I do wonder about this blog with its few paragraphs of content each day. Am I part of the "brain rot" problem or doing something to counteract it? 

I have to admit that there are times that I feel I have the attention span of a gnat anymore and I wonder if my phone is the work of the devil. Perhaps we should offer regular exorcisms: "I cast thee out, Google!" 

I would say more, but I may already be testing everyone's attention span. So. I'm off to see the Wizard...enjoy the sunshine of a Winter day!

Celebrating “Big Tide (Low Water)” Haida Title Lands Agreement.

 

Yesterday Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on Haida Gwaii with federal government ministers, about at far west as a person can get in what we call Canada. They were there to publicly ratify a historic agreement with the Haida people. a small but feisty Indigenous nation who have reasserted sovereignty over their traditional lands during the past 40 years and more. The Haida came perilously close to being wiped out by European diseases and colonization turned these astonishingly beautiful and abundant islands into a cash cow for resource extraction. A stand-off on Lyle Island was the beginning of the end for indiscriminate logging and the impetus for establishing Gwaii Haanas National Park. 

Last year the government of British Columbia signed a significant reciprocity agreement, a model for Indigenous peoples around the world. Now the federal government has done the same. 

When we visited Haida Gwaii last year we were overwhelmed by the lush beauty and we loved our day trip by boat to a historic village in Gwaii Haanas. We were there for the summer solstice and National Indigenous Peoples Day and witnessed Haida pride in many expressions. We've made a point of learning more about Haida culture and spirituality and in doing so became painfully aware of the attempts by Christian missionaries to extinguish traditions, including the insistences that totem poles be cut down and burned. 

The agreement signed yesterday was another important step toward living out the commitment to Truth and Reconciliation. As Christians and members of the United Church of Canada we can celebrate this moment, aware that there is much more to do. 

Members of the Haida Nation sing and drum during a community gathering attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to celebrate a land title agreement, in Skidegate, B.C., on Haida Gwaii, on Monday, February 17, 2025.

I do love that participants in the celebratory dinner were asked to bring their own cutlery, plates, and bowls. I wonder if the PM and the federal ministers got the memo? I think we were at that recreational centre for a meal on Indigenous Peoples Day and we were made to feel welcome. 

Here is an excerpt from the news release from the Prime Minister's office: 

February 17, 2025

HlG̲aagilda (Skidegate), Haida Gwaii

Today, the President of the Haida Nation, Gaagwiis Jason Alsop, the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, Gary Anandasangaree, announced the signing of the Chiix̲uujin / Chaaw K̲aawgaa “Big Tide (Low Water)” Haida Title Lands Agreement. The Agreement includes Canada’s recognition of Haida Aboriginal title to lands on Haida Gwaii and marks a significant milestone in the journey to reconciliation.

Canada’s recognition of Haida Aboriginal title on Haida Gwaii includes the foreshore and extends to the low-water mark. The Agreement does not affect private property interests or local and municipal governments on Haida Gwaii, and it confirms the continued delivery of federal public services. The Haida-Canada Archipelago Management Board will also continue to co-operatively manage Gwaii Haanas through a transition period, during which both governments will work to reconcile jurisdictions and laws.

The Haida Nation collectively holds inherent Haida title and rights as described in the Constitution of the Haida Nation. At a Special House of Assembly on November 24, 2024, Haida citizens voted 97 per cent in favour of the Chiix̲uujin / Chaaw K̲aawgaa “Big Tide (Low Water)” Haida Title Lands Agreement. As a result, the Agreement was signed by the Haida Nation and Canada on December 4, 2024.

 

Counting Birds on a Snowy Sunday

 

“But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
    the birds of the air, and they will tell you;
8 ask the plants of the earth,[a] and they will teach you,
    and the fish of the sea will declare to you.
9 Who among all these does not know
    that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every living thing
    and the breath of every human being.

Job 12:7-10 NRSVue

This weekend is the Great Backyard Bird Count and I decided I wouldn't write about it because I did note the Christmas Bird Count. Both are impressive exercises in citizen science with the invitation to count different species and submit the results. Then came the big winter storm in Southern Ontario that closed most churches but didn't stop the avian congregation at our feeders and heated bird bath. In the end there were 12 species coming and going constantly, an impressive number of disciples, all of them multiples.How do they survive through these storms? 

We did get to a church yesterday, braving the elements to do our baked goods pickup at Metro for the Bridge St UC meal program. As we departed a rough looking guy waiting to enter offered "bless you", and that was meaningful. All-wheel drive is a gift from God...or Subaru. 

 The abundance of birds was a holy experience as well, in between toiling to remove snow. There was even a baptism. It's hard to imagine why the starlings would splash in the bird bath on such a cold day, but maybe they figured they were at the spa. 

We loved it all. Please keep an eye out for birds this Family Day. Most of those birds are back today.  Here is our feeder list: 

Blue Jays, Cardinals, White & Rose-breasted Nuthatches. Mourning Doves, Chickadees, Downy & Hairy Woodpeckers, Goldfinches, House Finches, Juncos, Starlings. 

Here we go a-Wassailing -- Again!

A costumed crowd making its way to a wassailing ceremony, where apple trees are sung to to ensure a good harvest.

Here we come a-wassailing Among the leaves so green; 

Here we come a-wand'ring So fair to be seen...

Love and joy come to you, And to you your wassail too; 

And God bless you and send you a Happy New Year 

And God send you a Happy New Year.

(over time these lyrics were changed to "here we come a-carolling')

I'm on a pause from snow-blowing and shovelling and huffing and puffing so writing a blog seems to be a sensibly sedentary activity. 

I've been thinking about one of those curious, ancient British traditions called wassailing that waned in the 20th century only to experience a resurgence in recent years. I have written about this communal ritual of blessing fruit trees in years past but a recent article in the New York Times intrigued me once again. Here is the headline and a couple of paragraphs: 

Toast, Trees and a Wassailing Queen: An Ancient English Ritual Is Back

The centuries-old tradition of wassailing is making a comeback in rural England, 

with rituals and revelry meant to chase away evil spirits and the winter blues.

The ceremonies have evolved over time, according to Ronald Hutton, a professor of history at the University of Bristol, who dates the first recorded wassails to the 13th century, when a large wooden bowl with alcohol was passed around by friends standing in a circle. 

Someone would drink and call “waes hael” — be well — and the others would chorus back “drinc hael” or drink well, he said, adding that this could descend into a medieval drinking game. “You’d carry on passing the wassail bowl from hand to hand and taking a slurp until either the host decided enough was enough — or people gradually keeled over and the winner was left standing,” said Professor Hutton, author of a book on English folklore.

By the 16th century, the link to agriculture was established, with farmers singing to and blessing bee hives, fruit trees, crops, sheep and cattle to encourage a bountiful harvest.

                                                        Terra Brockman and family wassailing

I first heard about wassailing as an activity in a Christian Century article from December 2018 called Why We Wassail. Terry Brockman, an American, author of The Season's on Henry's Farm and founder of The Land Connection. She describes heading out amidst the organic fruit trees with family to celebrate, an image I found quite intriguing. I contacted her and after our exchange I approached a local apple grower about the possibility of a wassailing event. He was on board but something cropped up (pun intended)... what was it?... ah yes, a pandemic. 

No doubt lots of participants get involved because its fun to play silly-buggers and have a party. I wonder, though, if there is a deeper yearning to reconnect with Earth-honouring traditions because of the mess we've made of the present. 

When I spoke with Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore a couple of weeks ago about her research on counter-acting anxiety through attention to the natural world we got on to the importance of re-enchantment,  a great term. Maybe there is hope for us as a species if we open ourselves to this possibility, in revelry and in awareness of Creation and Creator. Why wouldn't we bless creatures and crops? Wouldn't that be enchanting? 

Em Sibley, the “wassail queen," after successfully completing the ceremony at Sheppy’s farm in Bradford-on-Tone, England.

Those in Peril on the Sea

 

1 Eternal Father, strong to save,whose arm has bound the restless wave,

who bade the mighty ocean deep its own appointed limits keep:

O hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.

2 O Christ, whose voice the waters heard, and hushed their raging at thy word,

who walked upon the foaming deep, and calm amid the storm did sleep:

O hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.

3 O Holy Spirit, who didst brood upon the chaos dark and rude,

and bade its angry tumult cease, and gave for wild confusion, peace:

O hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea.

4 O Trinity of love and power, all travellers guard in danger's hour.

From rock and tempest, fire and foe, protect them wheresoe'er they go:

thus evermore shall rise to thee glad hymns of praise from land and sea.

When a fishing vessel named the Elite Navigator with a crew of seven disappeared off the northeast coast of Newfoundland last summer just about everyone in the community of New-Wes-Valley hoped for the best and anticipated the worst. You would be hard pressed to find a Newfoundlander whose family hadn't lost someone to the sea over the years. I did pay attention to the news reports because this community, actually three amalgamated into one, were along the shore from the outports I served as a newly ordained United Church minister in the early 1980s. 

When the winds and waves come from the Northeast they are enough to knock even a strong person down (been there, done that) and even the most experienced fisherfolk are at the mercy of the elements. It was wonderful when the "Lucky Seven" as they came to be known were found two days later in a life-raft about 250 kilometres offshore. I'm sure many people felt that prayers were answered. 

Today I'm thinking about those who perished during the night of February 14/15 1982 when the Ocean Ranger oil rig went down in a ferocious storm. We were holed up in the manse (clergy housing) that night and in the morning the outside world wasn't visible because every window was covered in snow. Our car had all but disappeared. Even though the "Ocean Danger" as it was dubbed by crew was the largest semi-submersible rig of the day it was toppled and 84 crew members perished. 

I have written before about the request that on the following Sunday we sing the hymn Eternal Father Strong to Save, a meaningful prayer in song. I suppose that, God willing, I'll remember that fateful night for the rest of my life and every time I hear of those who have braved the elements my prayer will be:"O hear us when we cry to thee for those in peril on the sea."

Flag Day in Canada, Strong and Free

 

Okay, I am an aging (aged) Canadian who did not know until a few days ago that February 15 (tomorrow)  is Flag Day in this country. The Wikipedia blurb describes the celebration:

National Flag of Canada Day, commonly shortened to Flag Day, is observed annually on February 15 to commemorate the inauguration of the flag of Canada on that date in 1965.

I'm old enough to remember the official unfurling of the flag we have come to love. I have a vague recollection of the kerfuffle around replacing the Red Ensign flag with its obvious connection to the British Empire as well as the opinion held by some that the new one it was simplistic and ugly.

Fifty years ago I kicked around England and France for a while and my backpack displayed this newer flag, less than a decade old at the time, sewn on for everyone to see. I'll admit that I always get emotional when the Maple Leaf is raised at the Olympics and our National Anthem plays. I went to Vimy Ridge in my 20s and fought back tears seeing the grim reminder that Canadians my age and younger died for freedom and while it was the Red Ensign then, it is the Maple Leaf now. I have looked across from the Golan Heights into Lebanon where Canadians were keeping the peace. 

Vimy Ridge Memorial

                                                                  Peacekeepers Memorial 

All this said, over time I've developed mixed feelings about this symbol of identity and patriotism. I a wary about the blurry line between patriotism and chauvinism, the latter being almost mindless allegiance to country and flag. 

Earlier in my ministry no one questioned the presence of a flag or flags in church sanctuaries. Then we began to wonder why we did this when our deepest allegiance is to Jesus Christ. As Christians we became increasingly aware that the Canadian flag could be a symbol of oppression for the Original Peoples of the land we call Canada. Then the hideous "Freedom Convoy" commandeered the flag as a symbol of selfishness and intimidation and it sadly poisoned my response. 

I am trying my best to work through all these realities because I am so grateful to have won the lottery of life having being born in Canada. I would say "blessed" although that might imply that others who live in less fortunate circumstances somehow don't deserve blessing. I have experienced such privilege as a result of my country of birth and I want the flag to represent a commitment as a citizen of Canada and as a follower of Jesus to a better world of peace and prosperity for all. 

Five former Prime Ministers have invited all Canadians to get behind Flag Day this year as  we are considering annexing California (same population, begins with "C", ends with an "a", eh?) as well as renaming the Gulf of Maine. We've already put up the conventional flag and another designed by an Indigenous artist to reflect his heritage. The True North Strong and Free!. 

Homeless in a Snow Storm

                                                  Living Rough under a Moira River Bridge

Well, an hour of early-morning snow-clearing and we may be largely done for today,Now we can brace ourselves for up to 30 centimetres on the weekend. It was good to get back into the warmth and here I am clacking away.  

Yesterday we got out early for a ski/shuffle on a trail by the Bay of Quinte, a bit of a mistake because the wind was bitter. I paused  as we went past a well-trodden side trail to offer a quick prayer for the people who live in a couple of encampments in the trees close to the bay. They are out of sight and out of mind for most. Again, we were able to head home, grouse about the cold, and sip hot chocolate. 

I saw this article about increasing homelessness in our region, a reality across our province. I know from chatting with those who take on the task of enumeration that this is likely under-reporting because it's such a challenge to identify those with no fixed address. On our rambles we've seen social workers and others connecting with those in encampments and sleeping rough but this is truly an imperfect science. 

I'm grateful that our congregation, Trenton United, continues to host a warming centre yet there needs to be so much more.  We can all say our prayers and ask those seeking election in this month's provincial election what they will do. Here is the article from Quinte News:

The number of people known to be homeless in Hastings County increased in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The County’s Community and Human Services Committee learned Wednesday that the number of people identified as homeless went up to 262 in October through December.

That’s an increase of 30 from the third quarter.

Of the 262 on the list 149 were categorized as chronically homeless, almost the same number as in the previous quarter.

Movies to Stir the Soul

 

God, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change
the courage to change the things I can
and the wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time,
enjoying one moment at a time.
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace.
Taking, as he did, the sinful world as it is,
not as I would have it.
Trusting that he will make all things right
if I surrender to His will;
that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
and supremely happy with Him forever.

—Reinhold Niebuhr, 1892-1971

At the time The Outrun film was released I wrote about my anticipation for seeing it. I'd read the auto-biographical book by Amy Liptrot, a profound reflection on her descent into addiction and finding her way back to sobriety and health by returning to her origins on the Orkney Islands. We eventually saw this movie adaptation on a big screen that could do justice to the wildness of the Orkneys, and Saoirse Ronan was wonderful in the lead role. When we noticed recently that it was available on Hoopla,  the library streaming service, we watched it again.

It got me thinking once more about film as an art form that can be deeply spiritual. The Outrun is not an overtly religious film yet it addresses matters of the soul. As Rona/Amy comes to grips with her addiction she goes into rehab where they repeat the Serenity Prayer. There are different versions of this prayer that are not so "He/His". When she returns to her home she dodges the evangelical earnestness of her mother and her friends, yet in the end her mother has found her own serenity in a higher power, although in a different way. 

There is also a strong sense of the healing found in the natural world, or what Christians describe as Creation. We have experienced the intensity of the sea many times over the decades and the paradox that a force so extreme can also be the source of exhilaration and even comfort. This time around I was more aware of the yearning for ecstatic experience that can be both destructive and life-giving. 

In recent months there have been a couple of religious films extolled by conservative Christians that have been box office or streaming successes in a certain demographic yet panned by critics. At Christmas there was the eye-rolling Mary (mother of Jesus) biopic and then Reagan, essentially a hagiography of the late American president. They received 28% and 19% on Rotten Tomatoes, demonstrating that film as propaganda is a mistake. 

Decades ago my travel agent mother, a Protestant, became good friends with a dynamo Roman Catholic nun named Sister Marian. She taught popular courses on film and faith at the University of Toronto, drawing on films such Bunuel's Nazarin from the 1950s as well as more contemporary pictures. She understood the connection between film as art and spirituality and was courageous in her choices.  

During the pandemic I watched the film Mass online, sponsored by a RC theological college in Toronto. It's about four parents meeting for the first time after the son of one couple was murdered by the son of the other, who also died. It was stunning, and while there were religious overtones it was so authentic and honest. 

I should note that I enjoy comedies and we have fun watching animated films with our grandkids. Movies can be entertaining!

I know that some of you love films as entertainment and exploration of the human condition. I'm grateful that movies worth watching continue to emerge from the dreck!

Jim, Reimagined as James

 

This is Black History Month and while Canadians are inclined to see this as an American celebration and commemoration it is observed here as well, and rightly so. I feel that it is important for Canadians to be aware of both Black oppression and accomplishment on both sides of the border, including the scourge of slavery in both countries. In the latter years of my ministry I made a point of upholding Black history either on the Sunday closest to Martin Luther King Day in January or on a Sunday during February. Not a lot, I suppose, but at least  something in congregations that were predominantly white. 

To this end of recognizing the month Ruth, my partner, decided to read the celebrated novel, James, by Percival Everett. It is a re-imagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Samuel Clemens, also known as Mark Twain. The story is told from the perspective of Huck's friend on his travels, Jim (James), who is an escaped slave.The name of Everett's novel signals that this Black man is a person of worth and the reader discovers that he has intelligence and an inner life, carefully disguised because looking a white person in the eye, let alone expressing thoughts and opinions, could be life-threatening. So could the ability to read or write. 

Ruth wondered if she should read Huckleberry Finn first since she hadn't done so in the past. I first read this novel as a mid-teen and it was a powerful introduction to literature which could change the way I perceived the world. Needless to say, I encouraged her to do so, even though it was written by a white male in the 19th century. 

                                                        My Ancient Childhood Copy of Huck Finn

I've read James but it's been decades since I read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Ruth found it worthwhile and is now well into James, appreciating the brilliant writing and the re-telling from a Black perspective. She's also found it helpful to read them back to back. 

I have taken a graphic novel called Big Jim and the White Boy out of the library for yet another telling of thi classic story. Again, so many books, so little time!

A Prayer for Owen Meany, Re-visited

 

Do you have certain novels you would like to strike off your list of should-reads or read again but realize that there are "so many books, so little time"? We have taken to listening to books as we travel in our vehicle, realizing that this may be the only way our wishful thinking will become wish fulfillment. Moby Dick was one example -- it is sooo long! 

Another novel we both enjoyed decades ago was A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, so we listened to it as well, over several months. It is about a peculiar, prophetic boy named Owen Meany, narrated by his life-long friend John Wheelright. 

I knew that the novel made me laugh out loud at several points, particularly the hilarious Christmas Pageant. I recalled that in some respects it was about the possibilities of fate and the mystery of predestination. I had forgotten entirely that the story begins with a lot of reflection about God and being a Christian and going to church. And I forgot that while the novel begins in small town New Hampshire in the early 1950s John Wheelright is telling his tale from Toronto where he is a teacher in the 1980s. In fact, many of the Toronto references are very familiar in that we lived in the same area as fictional John when I was at seminary in the city in the late 1970s.

As we listened I laughed aloud, numerous times, and with an appreciation for funny scenes I might not have enjoyed in the same way 30 years ago. Some of narrator John's observations about Americam politics and culture during the turbulent Vietnam war years are remarkably applicable to the present day with its chaos.  

What impressed me most is the depth of spiritual and religious reflections by tiny, quirky Owen as a boy and young man, along with the observations by aging John as he settles into Anglicanism while teaching at a hoighty-toighty girls school in Toronto. 

John Irving has described himself as a non-believer, yet in moment after moment he is profound in his ways of describing the spiritual wrestling and discovery by his central characters, including Owen's certitude regarding certain precepts of the Christian life.  There is a funeral scene near the end of the book in which the preacher, who lost his faith and found it again, employs scripture passages in a stirring and touching manner. 

So, here it is, dear readers. Decades on, I've experienced A Prayer for Owen Meany again, and heard it as though for the first time. Will I live long enough to reflect back on this a few years from now and ask, what was it about that novel that I appreciated so much? If you haven't read Owen Meany, get on it while you still can!

God's Priorities on Superbowl Sunday

 

All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord,
    for they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 They shall sing of the ways of the Lord,
    for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For though the Lord is high, he regards the lowly,
    but the haughty he perceives from far away.

Psalm 138:4-6 NRSVue

I online searched for the Lectionary scripture readings for today although as soon as I put in February 9 I got a whack of Superbowl info. I know that later today reader Roger will be praying that the Kansas City Chiefs will prevail over the Philadelphia Eagles. These are two excellent teams and even though the Chiefs are given a slight edge on the betting line it's too close to call this morning. 

The reality is that one team will win and the other will lose and that's what fans love about team sports and individual athletic endeavours. In my youth ABC Wide World of Sports had the motto "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat" and, come to think of it, this applies to just about every "arena" of human activity. 

I did find the readings for today and the psalm is the same as for the past three days, Psalm 138. It upholds a recurring theme in scripture that God turns the strivings of mortals upside down. Whether it is Mary's Song in Luke or the apostle Paul's hymn in his letter to the church in Philippi we are encouraged to trust that "This is God's wondrous world: O let me ne'er forget that though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet."

Our world does seem to be a place where wrong has become commonplace and frightening. We wake up feeling as though we're losing the game when it comes to decency and fairness.  

At the same time I'm aware that at age 70 I have been spared the threat and turmoil my parents experienced through the Great Depression and World War II. I see that the Gospel passage for this Sunday is the calling of the disciples from the shore of Galilee, where Jesus tells them not to be afraid. Somehow they see in Jesus someone to follow, wherever he will lead them, even to the cross. 

 Our sense of security may be shaken these days, but when the going gets tough, shouldn't the tough get going? Okay, maybe that sports cliche isn't quite want we want...

I admit that I will be watching the game today and like Roger I'll be cheering on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. I'll do my best to keep my eyes on a different prize, just the same. 

 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 

who, though he existed in the form of God,

    did not regard equality with God

  as something to be grasped, 

but emptied himself,

    taking the form of a slave, 

    assuming human likeness. 

And being found in appearance as a human, 

he humbled himself

 and became obedient to the point of death—

  even death on a cross. 

 Therefore God exalted him even more highly

 and gave him the name 

that is above every other name ...

                                    Philippians 2:5-11 NRSVue 

Farewell to the Aga Khan

                                                 Aga Khan Museum and Centre, Toronto

 The Aga Khan has died at the age of 88 and that may not matter to you all that much. For a lot of Canadians the name is only familiar because he was a friend of the Trudeau family and PM Justin got in hot Caribbean water for accepting a vacation at the very wealthy Aga Khan's estate in the Bahamas.

I figure we should recognize the Aga Khan for much more than Bahama-gate. He was the imam of the world-wide Ismaili Muslim movement for 68 years and continued his family's commitment to improving life and security for the followers of this branch of Shia Islam and building up institutions to foster education and progress.

                                                  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Aga Khan

One of this Aga Khan's significant accomplishments was establishing a museum for Muslim art and sacred texts. His original plan was to build it in London, Great Britain, but eventually chose Toronto because of the city's diversity and it opened in 2014. 

There is so much stereotyping of Islam as being anti-intellectual and anti-science and these buildings challenge these misconceptions.  We have been to the Aga Khan Museum several times, as well as the adjacent Ismaili Centre with its magnificant prayer hall. I would say that our favorite exhibition was The Moon in 2019 but each visit has been worthwhile. 

I am wary about any billionaires and how they accumulate wealth. Still, I do admire this accomplishment and others. I'm sure there is a great sense of loss for the Ismaili community and we can pray that his son, his successor, will uphold the positive values his father upheld. 

Bob Marley at 80 -- One Love

 

One Love! One Heart!

Let's get together and feel all right.
Hear the children cryin' (One Love!);
Hear the children cryin' (One Heart!),
Sayin': give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Sayin': let's get together and feel all right. Wo wo-wo wo-wo!

Let them all pass all their dirty remarks (One Love!);
There is one question I'd really love to ask (One Heart!):
Is there a place for the hopeless sinner,
Who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs?

One Love! What about the one heart? One Heart!
What about -? Let's get together and feel all right
As it was in the beginning (One Love!);
So shall it be in the end (One Heart!),
All right!
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let's get together and feel all right.
One more thing!

This is Bob Marley Day and I'm tempted to just shrug my shoulders and carry on. I understand that Marley was a seminal figure in the rise of reggae music and that this genre not only influenced subsequent styles it opened us to other forms of World Music. While the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers was infectious it just wasn't all that appealing to me at the time. I liked One Love, but who didn't? I hadn't realized that the lyrics contained so much religious imagery. 

 It is remarkable that Marley rose from modest beginnings in Jamaica to global acclaim. Near the end of his brief life he played a concert in London, Great Britain, with 100,000 fans in attendance. Since his untimely death at the age of 36 I've become more aware and appreciative of his sense of social justice and uniting peoples of African descent. 

Marley was both spiritual and religous. He began life in a Christian background but became a member of the Rastafari movement in which Haile Selassie, emperor of Ethiopia was an incarnation of God. I recall thinking that was just weird and Bob's love of weed turned me off in my earnest youth. 

Marley eventually converted to Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and was baptised into that tradition shortly before his death. Sadly, his beliefs led him to ignore medical assistance for his cancer until it was too late. He was given a state funeral in Jamaica with Orthodox and Rastafarian elements and with him in the coffin were his Les Paul guitar (nooo!), a sprig of cannabis, and a bible, opened to Psalm 23 . Bob Marley would have turned 80 in 2025 so there will be a year of celebrating his legacy. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in the midst of Unholy geo-politcal chaos. 

Let's get together to fight this Holy Armagiddyon (One Love!),
So when the Man comes there will be no, no doom (One Song!).
Have pity on those whose chances grows t'inner;
There ain't no hiding place from the Father of Creation.

Sayin': One Love! What about the One Heart? (One Heart!)
What about the -? Let's get together and feel all right.
I'm pleadin' to mankind! (One Love!);
Oh, Lord! (One Heart) Wo-ooh!

Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let's get together and feel all right.
Give thanks and praise to the Lord and I will feel all right;
Let's get together and feel all right.

The Prison Cows Have Come Home!

 

1 We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land,

but it is fed and watered by your almighty hand;

you send the snow in winter, the warmth to swell the grain,

the breezes and the sunshine, and soft refreshing rain.

All good gifts around us are sent from heaven above;

we thank you, God, O holy God, for all your love.

As a 24-year-old I spent four months in Kingston Penitentiary, a maximum security prison toured and admired by Charles Dickens in the 1840s but a bleak place in the late 1970s. Fortunately I went home every day because I was working there as a chaplain intern and got time off for good behaviour.

There was a signficant learning curve during my chaplaincy that included daily visits to prisoners in  "The Hole", the grim solitary confinement cells. There was an "older" guard (probably in his 50s) who was helpful for such a greenhorn and whose perspective made a lasting impression. He told me about the prison farm that had once been extensive, beyond the Prison for Women, across the street from KP on the property now occupied by the west campus of Queen's University. Prisoners could apply to work on the farm and this guard was convinced that this sort of outside labour made a signfiicant difference to the inmates lives, including their attitudes inside.

                                                                    Elsie, Bossie, and their Posse

This farm had closed by the time I working at the Pen but other prison farms still existed. You may recall that they were closed by the Harper government in 2009 even though they were profitable enterprises with prize dairy herds One of the arguments was that they didn't result in usable skills, even though hundreds of thousands work in agriculture across the country and Canada allows many foreign workers in for this sector every year. 

Save Our Prison Farms protests at a Kingston, Ont. prison continued on the morning of Monday, August, 9, 2010.

There were protests against these closures and even some arrests. A lauded documentary was created about this short-sighted decison called Til the Cows Come Home (why isn't it rated on Rotten Tomatoes?)  Years ago I spoke with one of the producers who gave me a copy of the film in the days before streaming --remember DVDs?

Here is the happy news. The Liberal government promised to restore these farms and while it has taken a decade or more it has happened, at least partially. In the midst of so much bleak news I find this moo-ving (someone stop me). Yes, I understand that these aren't the same cows, but lets not go there. 

 Here are excerpts from Kingston Whig Standard piece from a couple of days ago about the official re-opening. The 14-year-old arrested in 2010 will be in her late 20s now and I hope that she's celebrating. 

A 'dairy' happy ending: Kingston prison farm running at full capacity after more than decade-long saga

Dairy operations had a full complement of milking cows by the end of December and currently is at 92% of its milk quota versus production

The cows have officially come home. And it’s a pretty spectacular sight.  

Joyceville’s dairy barn, a huge and arduous work-in-progress, seemed impossible back in August 2010 when cattle were removed from Collins Bay Penitentiary property and the federal prison farms program shuttered.  

On this day, cattle of all ages are resting and eating in stalls inside a state-of-the-art barn, awaiting the next milking.  

It’s a stark contrast to August 2010, when police arrested more than 20 protesters, in some cases dragging away and cuffing them or forcing them to the ground when protesters sat or stood through pelting rain for more than six hours, blocking the cattle trucks from getting into the prison property after the shuttering of the program. The arrested protesters — ranging from a 14-year-old girl taken into custody with her mother, to an 87-year-old woman and several professors from Royal Military College — who were charged with mischief. Several organizers were arrested... 

The sprawling dairy operations feature a full-time farm supervisor and herdsman, as well as two dairy herdsmen with 12 hours shifts, seven days a week. At present, there are 20 offenders on job assignment to agri operations, from milking crew, day farm hands, to a combination of both depending on other program responsibilities they have within the Institution.  

Former Kingston city councillor George Sutherland, left to right, Kingston and the Islands MP Mark Gerretsen, Dianne Dowling and Jeff Peters inside the dairy farm at Joyceville Institution. PHOTO BY MACLA MENARANDA /jpg, KI, apsmc