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I went out for a run on Monday evening in Cambridge, England. I turned right as I went out the gate of Westminster College, and set out on Madingley Road. I can’t actually tell you what direction I was going. I usually rely on my GPS watch to create a real-time map as run, but it seems to be having difficulty making adjustment to its new environs. I only had a vague idea of where I was headed, but was hopeful I could find my back to my home away from home. I also felt that if I got truly lost, I could stop and ask for directions.

This seems an apt metaphor for these early days of my sabbatical. I have thought about this gift of time for months, and worked on plans. But I am still headed down a new path. I have never done this before. I am aware of moving into unknown territory, and of the fact that I have already received so much help and encouragement as I head out.

The United Church of Canada has had a clergy sabbatical policy since 2006. It allows every minister who is in a continuing pastoral relationship with a congregation for five years or more to take a sabbatical of at least 3 consecutive months. I am combining the sabbatical leave with my annual vacation. I stepped away from my duties at Trinity United Church in Oakville, on May 1, and will return after Labour Day. The congregation, and individual members have been very supportive of my sabbatical hopes.

For the first full week of May I helped lead a retreat for 13 people who are in the Ontario Jubilee Program in Spiritual Formation and Direction. We were at the Five Oaks Centre near Paris, Ontario. I was able to begin each day there with a 6:30 a.m. run, following a route I had already explored with my car. The path I ran tonight, leaving from the College gate, was all new to me.

Westminster is a centre for learning that serves the United Reformed Church, formerly the Presbyterian Church in England. There is a foundation (The Chesahunt Foundation) attached to the college which provides support for clergy sabbaticals. Thanks to their generosity, I am in one of the oldest university towns in the world, carrying a card that names me as a visiting scholar. I look forward exercising the privilege I have been offered, to explore in the libraries of the other colleges.

I am also invited to take my meals in the college dining room. At lunch and dinner on Monday, and for Tuesday’s breakfast I sat at table with faculty and students, and was invited in to the conversation of the community. I met a pastor from New Zealand who is here to work on her D. Min. thesis on the topic of multi-culturalism in her denomination, the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand. I have also met several students in different stages of preparation for ordained ministry.

Regular classes have finished for the spring term, and the students are busy finishing projects, and preparing for exams. There is a feeling of hushed, studious urgency here. The students are friendly while at table for meals, but they also do not dawdle- they head back to their work.

The reflection at Tuesday morning chapel was about the rhythm of work, and rest, of time to abide in God’s presence, and time to move, and learn, and grow. I may not know exactly where the paths here will take me, but I have the growing sense that I am in a good place.

Lately I’ve been running 3-5 miles a day on a treadmill. I am fortunate to be able to afford good running shoes- but even so, my feet take a beating. Callouses, and occasional blisters serve to remind me to have compassion for those who are on their feet all day. They may not have a good or safe place to rest.

 How beautiful it is that travelers on the streets of Vancouver, seekers of God knows what, have a place to pause on their journey. How amazing, and important it is, that there are followers of Jesus willing to care for the tender soles, of these tender souls, who need help. How encouraging it is to know money given to the Mission and Service Fund of the United Church, supports act of kindness and mercy simply because there are acts of kindness and mercy that need doing.

 We continue to move through the church season of Epiphany. We began with the story of the Magi, travelers who also spent a lot of time on the road, following the star to the place where they met the newborn Jesus. I wonder if their feet received the care they needed after their long journey.

 Within a couple centuries of Jesus earthly ministry, the story of the wise travelers became one of the most important told and retold to new followers of Jesus. This story offers the hopeful message that the love, the peace, the signs of God at work in our world, that the Magi sought, are for everyone.

 There was a question at the beginning of the Jesus movement of whether or not you had to be Jewish first, before you could follow Jesus’ ways. The Magi story was used to say, “God’s love is like a shining star in the sky, and this light is meant for everyone.”

 That is a message that does not get old, and still needs to be communicated.  After more than twenty centuries, the Jesus movement still has a lot of work to do.

 Speaking of work- this might be a good moment to check in to see if anyone brought their homework from last week. Do you remember? I asked you to think about these questions:

 What is the essence of our faith?

What is the most important thing we have to pass on to the world, and the people around us?

I would love to hear what came to you, as you pondered these thing. (Several members of the congregation shared their thoughts.)

This is good, to check in with each other on matters of faith and life.

This morning we are using, with revision, parts of a re-covenanting service that originates with John Wesley. Wesley was a priest in the Church of England who saw people needed help to bring their faith out of the sanctuary, and into the everyday. He did not limit his preaching to the pulpit, but took to the streets, and spoke to thousands of people who would never set foot in a church. He organized new believers into small groups that met regularly so members could encourage each other, and challenge each other, and help each other live out their faith. They helped each other stay on track, and walk a better path in their life of faith.

The leader would ask each member in turn, “How is it with your soul?” and the whole group would listen. They studied scripture together, prayed together, and worked together on projects to help others. Wesley understood, and taught, that the work that Jesus’ followers do together not only can help spread the message of love, and help people, but it also serves to shape and form our hearts, our souls, our lives.

 I have been thinking lately, with gratitude and amazement at some of the ways our congregation and its people serve as God’s hands and feet in this world.  My list is incomplete, but points to some opportunities there are to serve, to learn, to grow, while making a difference.

 -attending worship- boosts our spirits, and those of others

-helping on Sunday morning, with music, ushering, reading scripture, doing announcements, running the powerpoint

-taking up collection- bringing your offering

-taking care as a steward of what happens to the money we collect

-ongoing support of Trinity, and the White Gift program, Roofs for the Roofless, Helping Educate Liberia’s People

-supporting Darrow’s salary allows him to serve in the community as an emergency on-call chaplain at the hospital

 -teaching Sunday School- building the faith of the children in our care, and pushing us to learn and grow

-helping with the communion service at Queens- nurturing community and growing relationships

-the ministry of prayer- the prayer list

-Trinity Young at Heart- provides fellowship and care to many people

-giving to the United Church of Canada Mission and Service Fund supports work in the wider world, such as the footwashing in Vancouver that we saw in the video clip

 The movement John Wesley started was called Methodism. At first the name was a put down, by those who made fun of the strict, methodical program Wesley and his followers taught. Over time, the movement grew into a new branch of the Christian Church. The Methodist Church was one of the three denominations that joined together to form the United Church of Canada in 1925.

 Wesley taught that baptism, and later confirmation as members of a church are outward signs of the covenant between each of us and God. God has promised to be our God, and love us, and strengthen and guide us, and help us. In return, our covenant calls us to learn and grow in our faith, and to live it in all parts of our lives.

 Wesley thought it was helpful to offer people the opportunity to re-new their covenant relationship with God, and with their fellow believers. Wesley tended to have these covenant services around New Year’s- it seemed like a good time to make a fresh start.

 This morning we will all have the opportunity to renew our faith commitments.  After we make the prayers, you will all be invited to come forward to receive communion. Once you have done that, you are also invited to go to the baptismal font, dip your fingers into the water, and make the sign of the cross on your forehead. This is not a baptism- but a symbol of your faith, or at least your desire to believe. This is a chance to say to ourselves, to God, and to each other, that we are continuing on our journey of faith. Amen

In the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day my email box fills up with shopping reminders from florists, and other merchants I have dealt with online. Apparently, nothing would express my love better at this time of year than a dozen red roses, or a new computer, or even a gift certificate for an oil change. Just as with Christmas, enterprising advertisers have mostly taken over the holiday, and turned it to their advantage.

The Christian calendar of saints actually has more than one character named Valentine.  There are a variety of stories and traditions, but my favourite legend says Valentine was a Christian priest who lived and died over 1700 years ago, during the reign of the Roman Emperor Claudius II.

The Roman Army was having trouble recruiting enough soldiers to fight its wars. It seemed that many young men (no women in the army in those days) would rather stay home and start a family than go off to some distant land to defend the Empire. Claudius’ bizarre solution was to pass a law forbidding marriage.

In this version of the story, Valentine defied the will of the Emperor, and the power of the entire Roman state, by secretly marrying couples, so that the man would then be exempt from military service. There is something totally appropriate, and also totally ironic, about joining people together in marriage so that they would not have to fight.

Increasingly I think about God as not just the source of Love, but think that God actually is that love, that animates us, energizes us, and frees us from the traps of our despair, small-mindedness, greed, and need to control others.

A couple of weeks ago I was locked into an argumentative power struggle with one of my kids, and became so frustrated with the situation that I just needed some time to breathe, and to be quiet. I gave myself a time-out, and sat alone for a few minutes. I realized quickly that I had no idea how to resolve the argument, which really means I knew there was no chance of making this awful, awful child come around to the right way of thinking, and living, by agreeing with me. I felt stuck. And angry. And absolutely right in my convictions, whatever they were.

It took a while, but I did calm, and cool, and then warm up again. My heart opened, and I remembered that I actually like this child- both of them actually. Whatever the issue was between us was small compared to the love I have for them.

Love really does have the power to overcome divisions between people. Love may not solve the disputes, but because love is for every person, and does not want to leave anybody out, Love warms us to the desire to not let differences keep us apart. Love is bigger than our differences. Love is bigger than us, and our small ideas and opinions, no matter how right we are!

Maybe we can use Valentine’s Day to celebrate the power of God, and God’s love, to make the things that we allow to separate us seem smaller than the things that we share in common.

As the Winter Games get rolling in Sochi, I have to confess that I was having a hard time getting into the Olympic spirit. The stories coming out of Russia these days about the active persecution of gay and lesbian people are awful. The apparent unwillingness of the International Olympic Committee to recognize this as a human rights concern, and not merely internal politics, has been disappointing.

A week or so ago I saw an inspiring video, that does not take on the Olympic Movement, or the Russian Government, or even the human tendency we seem to have, to always find someone to put down, or blame for the problems in the world. It shows a group of people who were gathered in Stockholm, who decided to reach out with love.

Our story today is about the Magi, those mysterious wise men from the East, who ventured far from home, to follow a sign in the sky, a star they believed would lead them to a child born to be the king of the Jews. This story has inspired pilgrims, and other people of faith, for thousands of years.

Over the millennia, many details have been added to the original story in Matthew’s Gospel. We don’t actually know how many made the journey. The idea of three comes from the number of gifts. Our tradition says three, and calls them Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar, but those names were added to the story sometime around the 6th century. In some traditions they talk about there being as many as 12 travelers.

There is no further mention in the Bible of the Magi after they leave Mary and Joseph and the baby, and having been warned in a dream, head home a different way to avoid King Herod. Traditions built up over time to continue their story. Some believe the Magi continued to travel for many years, and they met up with the Apostle Thomas while he was on his way to India, after the first Easter. That legend goes on to says that Thomas baptized them, and they later became bishops.

Another tradition says Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine found their buried remains, had them exhumed, and brought to Constantinople. Later the bones were moved again, to the Shrine of the Three Kings at the Cologne Cathedral. According to tradition the remains of each Magi were carried on a different boat, which is reflected in the old carol “I saw three ships come sailing in”.

Epiphany, the name for the day when we tell the story of the Magi, is not a Bible word. It has its roots in the Ancient Greek words epi which means upon, and phaino, which means shine or appear. It was used to describe the sun’s appearance at the dawn of a new day, or revelation or manifestation of God to a worshipper, which is also called a theophany.

The celebration of Epiphany highlights the idea that God’s love as we learn of it through Jesus was not just for the Jews. The story of these holy ones of another religion bearing gifts for the newborn babe was interpreted to mean that Jesus’ message is God’s gift to all people. The image of the star appearing, and being noticed by non-Jewish people said that God’s light and love is shining for us all. In Jesus’ time, and in the centuries after, missionaries took up the work of passing on the message of God’s love, to anyone willing to hear it.

In the earliest Jesus movement, even before people began using the word Christian, followers met together in each other’s homes, or in public places like the courtyard of the synagogue. They did not have buildings, or hymn books, or paid staff. They were just people coming together to pray, to sing, to break bread, and to remember the stories about Jesus. They shared their food and other belongings with people in need. They found hope and meaning in coming together, that gave them strength, and renewed purpose, and courage with which to live their lives.

Over many centuries, the movement of Jesus’ followers grew larger, and more organized. They built places of worship, and appointed shepherds, or pastors, who watched over the people who flocked together. They developed rules about who could speak in worship, and what they should say. There evolved a hierarchical power structure, with regional shepherds, or bishops watching over the local church pastors. But this all happens long after the time described in our gospel story this morning.

The Magi made their pilgrimage, following the star, leaving behind the comforts of home. They could not have known exactly what they would find at the end of the long journey. When they arrived at the place where the star led them, they entered the house, and seeing the child with Mary his mother, they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Such a long journey, and it all culminated in a short moment of paying homage and presenting gifts. And then they left.

Whatever they saw, whatever they knew in their minds, felt stirring in their hearts, and spirits, was enough for them, to validate the long journey. It was enough.

What was it that they saw, experienced, felt, knew, that made it enough? We know that they did not see what modern day pilgrims see when they go to Bethlehem today. Maybe that is for the best. The church that now stands on the traditional site of Jesus’ birth is in the midst of territory under Palestinian control, but surrounded by a wall built by Israel, and an armed force that controls passage in and out of the area.

The church itself, built over the grotto believed to be the original stable, is jointly cared for by three different Christian denominations. The members of these three groups have been known to end up in physical fights over whether or not is okay to move a chair or a ladder, or whether or not one groups hymns are too loud, and are making it difficult for another group to pray. Once a year the groups schedule a day in which they work together with community volunteers to clean the whole church. The Palestinian Police maintain a presence at the church that day, in case the tensions amongst the Christian groups escalate once more.

The pettiness of the fights amongst Christians at the Church of the Nativity is perhaps symbolic of the squabbles different faith groups get into, over who is right about what. These disagreements do little to help or inspire people who are looking for truth and meaning for their lives.

People can always seem to find things to disagree about, which is part of why there are now so many different denominations, all staking their claims on having truth to share about God.

But underneath all the differences, and all the stories, and traditions that have built up over the years, is there something pure and simple and vital, that somehow shines through?

What did the Magi see, when they visited the newborn? What was it that touched their souls?

Ever been in one of those dinner party conversations when someone asks, “If your home was burning down, but all the people had got out safely, and there was time to rescue only one or two possessions, what would you grab?”

Here is the question I want to leave you with this week, and I would love it if you thought and prayed about this, and brought the answer back next Sunday:

What is the essence of our faith? What is the most important thing we have to pass on to the world, and the people around us?

There are a lot of popular songs on the radio, and playing over the speakers at the stores, that tell stories related to the birth of Jesus. But not many songs deal with the wise men. I want to play one for you now that was recorded by James Taylor, back in 1988. It was on the album Never Die Young, and is called “Home by another way”.

Taylor’s take is that Herod is corrupt and greedy, and has his soldiers chase down the Magi for the gold, frankincense and myrhh. He does not dig into what I think really motivates Herod, which is fear. Herod cannot abide the thought that another king might appear on the scene- especially not a king who has God’s blessing.

Herod represents evil that conspires to protect the way things are, no matter the cost. In the story, the cost is borne by the Magi, who go out of their way to avoid another encounter with Herod. The cost is borne by Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus, who travel even further out of their way, to Egypt, to avoid Herod’s forces. The cost is borne in the most terrible way by the families of all the boys 2 years and younger, living in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The story says these children were killed in Herod’s campaign to protect the status quo, and eliminate a possible rival king, before he can become old enough to start shaking things up.

This part of the story is traditionally called the Slaughter of the Innocents. It is a hard story to hear. We don’t like to be reminded of the brutal cruelty people, and political systems are willing to inflict, usually on other people’s children, to protect what they fear losing.

We might prefer to think the world has changed, and these things no longer happen. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if political systems, governments, power structures had rejected the fearful ways of Herod, and were willing to be courageous, to protect the innocent, rather than see them suffer?

Not long before Christmas I listened to an amazing interview with a Conservative Senator, Hugh Segal. The first amazing thing was that he was not defending his expense account claims. The second amazing thing was that he was talking about a vision for a different kind of Canada, that puts a higher priority on nurturing and supporting our most vulnerable people. He spoke about how different things might be, if there were a guaranteed minimum income for every person.

Segal suggests we use the federal tax system to top up every household to above the poverty line. This would eliminate the need for provincial and municipal welfare, free up money for other programs, and change the way we look at our lowest income Canadians. (I have put a link to an article he wrote on the Trinity Facebook page.)

Segal has been working on this issue for years. There is logic to his idea, but he is largely dismissed, I think largely for ideological reasons, which mask prejudice, and fear. People who are well-off seem to resent the idea that tax money might be used to raise people above poverty conditions.

Anyone who has had to deal one-on-one with the current systems knows how dis-spiriting, dehumanizing, and time-consuming it can be to apply for benefits, satisfy the conditions, pass the means tests, and do the ongoing reporting required to receive support. Segal argues these layers of bureaucracy are punitive, and expensive, and have created comfortable careers for all the fact and form checkers, inspectors, and front-line workers.

I would argue that if governments had to face the same scrutiny that charities and churches face, with regard to the ratio of administrative costs compared to help delivered, we might declare the whole welfare machine hopelessly inefficient, and top-heavy with highly paid managers- none of whom have real incentive to change things- for fear of working themselves out of their jobs.

Fear is a powerful force, that can persuade basically good people to defend the status quo, even if it clearly is not making things better.
I remember the day in 1989 when the members of Parliament voted unanimously to eliminate child poverty by the year 2000. At that time, there were 912,000 children in Canada living in poverty conditions. 24 years later we still have 967,000. 1 in 7 Canadian kids live in poverty.

It would be overly dramatic to compare this to Herod’s campaign against the infant boys. But in a country where there is so much luxury, and so much disposable income, it seems clear that if we could move through our fear of change, and away from our sense of entitlement and protectiveness of our little kingdoms, we could do so much better.

I usually don’t talk so blatantly about worldly issues. As I was editing my sermon, and realizing how I might come across, I was reminded of the words of a Brazilian Roman Catholic Bishop, Dom Helder Camara, who said, “When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist.”

I can assure you that I am neither a saint nor a communist. I am quite surprised at myself for saying as much as I have today. I am also surprised that I would end up quoting the words of a conservative senator. Maybe it is a Christmas miracle!

Another name, in churchy language, for Christmas is the Feast of the Incarnation. The root word for incarnation is the latin word “carne”, which means in the flesh. The birth of Jesus is seen to signify God amongst us in human form- in the flesh.

For people who follow Jesus, the place to live out our faith is in the flesh, in our everyday lives. The story of the infant born in a stable, asleep in a manger because there is no other shelter reminds us that God is absolutely aware of how vulnerable, how precarious life can be in this world.

The world can be a very cold place. Followers of Jesus are called to do what they can, to take risks, to live beyond fear and prejudice and self-interest, to embody, to put flesh on the message of God’s love. That may mean putting ourselves in the middle of hard conversations, and situations of conflict. Those may be the places where the faithful voice, that points to another way, is most needed.

It was just over a year ago, on December 14, 2012, that another slaughter of the innocents happened at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut. A young man with numerous powerful firearms and copious amounts of ammunition made his way into the school, and shot many students and staff, wounding many, and killing 6 adults and twenty children.

It is an awful, awful story, perhaps made worse by the fact that in the weeks and months that followed, sales of firearms and ammunition spiked dramatically as did the number of new applications for gun permits. A powerful response to this slaughter of the innocents was to hoard more weapons, and campaign vigorously to protect the status quo, and retain the constitutional right to bear arms. A year later, and despite promises made, and calls to action by all levels of American government, it is as easy today to get access to the weapons and ammunition used to attack that school as it was before the tragedy. Fear is a powerful force in our lives.

Thank God that fear is not the only force in our lives. Thank God there is another way to get home. We do not have to follow Herod’s path. We can allow love to show us another way. A year after the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School there is another voice being heard out of the wilderness. A community based group called Newtown Kindness, that has as its mission “to promote kindness as a guiding principle of humanity. Newtown Kindness is committed to fostering compassion in children and inspiring life-long contributors to society.”

They support projects such as one by two 7 year old girls from Monroe Connecticut who raised $500 for Wounded Warriors, an organization that helps wounded military veterans. They raised this money through an event called the “Cool Carnival” because as they say, “Cool kids care”. These two girls are also working on a project to make journals for all the Sandy Hook Elementary kids to help deal with the tragedy and move ahead.

I learned about this group by accident. I was watching the Christmas episode of NCIS, and heard a song playing in the background of one of the closing scenes. I loved the singer’s voice, and the poignant words, and wanted to know more. In researching the song, which is called “Nothing More”, I learned the creators of the song are a band called The Alternate Routes. Even their name sounded good to me- it hints at going home by another way!

The Alternate Routes are based in Connecticut, and the Newtown tragedy has been on their hearts. They decided to donate half the proceeds from I-tunes sales of this song to Newtown Kindness. They also have put an invitation on their website, that people can make their own videos synched to the song “Nothing More”, and they can be uploaded to YouTube, and to the band’s website.

A lot of the home-made videos are beautiful expressions of the theme of the song, which is choosing the way of kindness and love. They leave me feeling very hopeful that it really is possible to go beyond fear, to something better. I want to show you my favourite video, which is the work of a class of grade three students, and their teacher, Mrs. Fitzpatrick.

Show video. Amen

Song Clip: “Right place at the wrong time”

Anyone recognize this song from 1973? It was recorded by a musician from New Orleans who recorded under the name Dr. John. It was his only real hit, and it still shows up in movie soundtracks every now and then. It’s basically a blues song with a strong funk vibe behind it.

Dr. John, whose real name is Max Rebennack, spoke about the song in an interview:

“That was my life for a long time. At the same time I was in the wrong place at the right time, and the right place in the wrong time, too. That was the problem. We’re always shifting those gears.”

I think that perhaps Joy is the opposite of the Blues. Perhaps the opposite of being in the right place at the wrong time, or the wrong place at the right time, would be when it lines up, and you are in the right place, at the right time. Perhaps that would be a good working definition of what Joy is.

What does it mean to be in the right place, at the right time?

Mohandas Ghandi, in his autobiography, which was sub-titled “the story of my experiments with truth“, wrote about discovering true joy through his practice of law. He was working on a case in which one man owed a great deal of money to another. The creditor was suing the debtor, and as preparations were made to bring the case to court, it became clear that this would all lead to the debtor being declared bankrupt. The creditor would never recover what was owed, and the debtor would endure what was in his culture a tremendous shame- he would rather die than face bankruptcy. Gandhi helped the two men negotiate an arrangement before the case was to be heard, that allowed the debtor to re-pay everything owed, over a very long period.

The creditor grew in respect in the community, and the debtor retained his honour. About all of this, Gandhi wrote, “ My joy was boundless. I had learnt the true practice of law. I had learnt to find out the better side of human nature and to enter men’s hearts. I realized that the true function of a lawyer was to unite parties riven asunder. The lesson was so indelibly burnt into me that a large part of my time during the twenty years of my practice as a lawyer was occupied in bringing about private compromises of hundreds of cases. I lost nothing thereby – not even money, certainly not my soul.“

Gandhi lived these years with what he described as boundless joy. He found himself, in terms of his calling, his vocation in that stage of his life, at the right place at the right time.

Writing about the notion of calling, the American author Frederick Buechner said, “ The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.”

Buechner spelled that out a bit by saying:

“There are all different kinds of voices calling you to all different kinds of work, and the problem is to find out which is the voice of God rather than of Society, say, or the Superego, or Self-Interest.
By and large a good rule for finding out is this.

The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work
(a) that you need most to do and
(b) that the world most needs to have done. “

Along these same lines, I have a quote that I love from the most famous monk of the modern age, a man named Thomas Merton, who died in 1968, but whose life and writings continue to make a difference in the world.

He said,

“ If you want to identify me, ask me not where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully for the thing I want to live for. Between these two answers you can determine the identity of any person. “

These ideas about vocation, about calling, about meaning in life take us down a path that may lead us to see that Joy is something deeper, and more profound that mere happiness. You can live with a depth of joy, even during unhappy times, if there is that “rightness” to your living.

By rightness I don’t mean that you be one of those people who acts like they are always right! I mean rightness in the Gandhi sense, in the Buechner sense, that you live at the place that is the intersection between what is most needed in the world, and what gifts and willingness you have to offer. That is the rightness of knowing who and what you are, that allows joyful living even in the midst of life’s worst storms.

I think that is the joy Mary sings of in today’s Gospel reading, when she says, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name.”

This was Mary’s response to the news that she, an unwed woman, was pregnant, and would give birth to a son who had a role in God’s plan for the life of the world. She sees herself as being in the right place at the right time, and finds joy in knowing that what she has to offer the world, is deeply needed.

Mary understood in her time, the same eternal truth that Gandhi came to in his life, and that is available to us in our lives, that real Joy is found in serving the needs of others. Through Mary we get a glimpse of the truth that our purpose, our reason for living is wrapped up in the well-being of others.

The question I would like to leave you with today is this:

“Where is your Joy? In what part of your life is there the opportunity for you to be in the right place at the right time? What can you do, that maybe no-one else can do, that is going to make a positive difference in God’s World?” Amen

After the worship service today there is going to be a congregational meeting. That happens around here only twice a year. At congregational meetings we do things like set the financial budget for the coming year, and choose the members of the church council, who manage the church year round. There is a lot of work, and a lot of decision making that goes in to keeping our congregation thriving. It is important work, and we are very lucky to have the people we have, who work very hard, on behalf of everybody here.

At the last two meetings of the Church Council, as well as at meetings of the Worship Committee, and the Christian Development committee, we have been talking a lot about Sunday School.

Lynda, who has been such an important part of the Sunday School, is no longer able to teach Sunday School. We still have Margaret, and Mary, who do so much with our kids. But we have been talking about getting more people involved.

We love that there are people of all ages that come to this church. We want everyone who comes here to feel loved and cared for. We want this to be a place for learning, and growing, for everyone. That begins in two places- with our worship service, and with our Sunday School.

We have figured out that we need to get some of the people who come here on Sundays for the worship service, to take turns going to Sunday School.  We have people in our congregation who can sing, and play music, who do different arts and crafts, who can cook, who can tell stories, who know how to work with wood to make things, who know how to use cameras to make  pictures, and computers to make powerpoints. We have so many talented, interesting people in our church. It is actually quite amazing!

My job today is to help everybody who came to church today, to discover that helping in Sunday School is something they can do.

My way to do that is to teach today’s Sunday School lesson:

Here are some symbols, or pictures that may help you know what the lesson is about.  Do you recognize them?

Around 700 years before the time of Jesus, the people of the country of Israel were having a very hard time. They were in a war with nearby countries. Many people were getting hurt and killed.

There was a man called Isaiah, who hoped and prayed for better times for his people.  He was a kind of a preacher and teacher who tried to bring God’s way of seeing things to the people.

Isaiah had a vision, which is a lot like a dream, in which God showed him that there could be another way to live. The dream was about the country of Israel getting a new king, who would lead the country in a new way, a peaceful way, rather than the way of fighting and killing.

The new ruler would come from the family of King David, one of the first, and most famous kings of Israel. When the new king comes, things will be different for Israel.

Isaiah said:

God showed me this vision for the world. The wolf and the lamb will live in the same field. The leopard and the young goat will live together too. Even calves and lions will lie down together. But there’s more. A little child will be able to walk among these animals and lead them around like a shepherd leads sheep from place to place.

The cow and the bear will eat from the same field of grass. Yes, imagine that, and the lion will eat straw like an ox. But there is still more. Babies will play on the ground and snakes will not bite them.

Here is a very old, and very famous painting that is based on Isaiah’s dream. It is called the Peaceable Kingdom.

What can we see in it? A lot of the animals that Isaiah mentioned in his dream. Lions and leopards, and cattle, and a bear, and a lamb, and a wolf, and even little children all together.

Can you imagine this happening? What if we had a lion and a lamb together in this room? Would the lamb feel safe and happy?

Isaiah’s dream is a way of using the imagination to teach the idea of peace. Sometimes we need to create a picture in someone’s head to help them understand what we mean. The person we are talking to knows we don’t actually mean what we are saying, but they get the idea.

Ever hear someone say “I am so hungry I could eat a horse! “ The probably don’t mean it, but we get what they mean, that they are really, really hungry. They are using humour, and exaggeration, and a picture gets created in our minds, that helps us know what they mean. “Hyperbole is just the best thing ever!”

The picture of the lion and the lamb laying down together is a way of helping people understand the idea of peace. Animals that would normally be afraid of each other all look happy, and safe, and peaceful.

Someone else did a painting of what the Peaceable Kingdom might look like using animals we find in North America.

What animals do you see in this one? Wouldn’t it be amazing to see all those creatures together like this in real life?

If we were actually in the Sunday School class today, it might be time to make something. Since we are getting ready for Christmas, and this is the Sunday for Peace, we could make Peace ornaments.

I would give each person in class a paper like this. We could colour the pictures of the lion and lamb, and in the other circle we could draw other animals that we could imagine laying down safely with each other, in a vision of peace.

I would probably have pictures from magazines of different animals, and if you did not want to draw, you could cut out your animals and put them in the second circle.

Then we would cut out the two animal circles, and glue them together, leaving a hole at the top so we could stuff tissue paper in, to make help the ornament expand to become more like something you might hang on your tree.

Everyone would be able to take their Peace Ornament home, to remind them of Isaiah’s dream of Peace.

Dreams and Visions of Peace are important. God gives us the dreams, so that we know what needs to be done to make the world a better place.

This weekend people around the world are sad, because a man with a big dream of Peace has died. His name is Nelson Mandela.

Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa. In the time he was born and growing up, South Africa was a pretty terrible place to live if your skin was a dark colour. People with lighter coloured skin, like mine, owned all the property, controlled the government, the army, the police, the hospitals, and all the places where people worked, and shopped, and lived.

People with darker colour skin were treated very poorly.

Nelson Mandela was involved with a group that was trying to change things. He was considered a criminal by the people who ran the country, and he was put in a jail in a place called Robben Island. He spent 27 years living in this jail cell.

He could have come out of jail very angry, and trying to get revenge on the people who put him in jail. But he had inside him a dream of peace. He wanted to help make a world in which people could be like the animals in the Peaceable Kingdom, and get along with each other.

He once said, “Great anger and violence can never build a nation. We are striving to proceed in a manner and towards a result, which will ensure that all our people, both black and white, emerge as victors.”

This man who spent 27 years in jail went on to become the President of South Africa. His efforts to bring about Peace, and reconciliation in his country have been an example to people all over the world.

We can end our Sunday School Lesson this morning by thinking of situations, places in the world where there is need to keep working on the dream of peace.

Can you think of some places that are in need of peace?

Let’s pray for them now.

Let’s also pray that we can find ways to help make peace in the places where we live. Amen

This Advent we used (under license) a series of video meditations from The Work of the People. The first is called “I Am Present”, and can be viewed if you follow this link:

http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/42191/I-Am-Present

 The Video Meditation we watched draws on beautiful images to express the soulful longings of the season of Advent, this time of on the way, but not quite there yet. A time of waiting for something, someone new to be born.

During Advent we might imagine Joseph and Mary setting out on their journey, and the whole mix of emotions they might have.

 Excitement about the impending birth. 

 Anxiety about their circumstances.

 Love for each other, and the new life they were nurturing.

 An underlying trust that somehow, it was all going to be all right.

 The conviction that Mary’s conversation with a holy messenger about the child she carried was not a delusion, that God really did send an angel to offer her hope.

 The confidence that Joseph’s dream of another messenger carried truth, and that he and Mary, and this unborn child were all important and necessary to God’s hopes and dreams for the world.

 Perhaps we all want to know that we are embraced by God’s love, and that we are part of God’s story.

 I came across a wonderful quote from the author Frederick Buechner that speaks to the part of us that wants to matter, but may hesitate, because life can seem so difficult, and we are afraid to take it on, by ourselves. Buechner writes that grace is the assurance that we do not have to take it on by ourselves, because God is always with us. He said,

 “The grace of God means something like: Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn’t have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don’t be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It’s for you I created the universe. I love you. There’s only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you’ll reach out and take it. Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.”

 The video uses the image of the womb of Eden to talk about a time of innocence when people felt close to God. Before things got complicated with all of our strategies of ego and pride and greed and willfulness. Before we cared about anything except being held, and loved, safe in God’s warm embrace.

 But in the Eden story, Adam and Eve grow up, and out of that simplicity, and their lives become more like ours. They knew the tensions between simple love and kindness, and other ambitions, to know, to do, to be in charge. All the confusions that get between our best selves, and God, who is the source of all love.

 Advent is a time of longing for a new way, which is also an old way of living- closer to God.

 Advent is hopeful, but also frightful. We hope for that new life, and we also hesitate. If the new life comes, will it make a shambles of our old lives? We hope so. We hope not. We don’t exactly what we hope for. But we have hope, nonetheless.

 Let’s watch the video again, with hopeful hearts.

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.

Then you can see God in the outside world.

 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.

I don’t know anyone who is only one thing. Our human hearts are messy places, with both holy and pure, brightly lit bits, and confused and grey and self-centred, broken and dark bits all mixed in. We are all works in progress, and our faith, our God offers us the possibility of growing, learning, transforming- becoming more pure of heart, as we seek to follow God’s ways.

One of the struggles I have with Remembrance Day is that there is always the danger of crossing the line from honouring sacrifices, and moving into the unfortunate territory of glorifying war. I have spent enough time with veterans of war and conflict to understand, if only a little bit, that nothing good comes of glorifying war.

On a basic level, whenever we are reduced to violence, it is because we are in a position in which the option of rising above pettiness to build a loving solution no longer seems viable. This is a tragic place to be. It is good for us to take time on Remembrance Day to reflect on what it costs in human lives, whenever people, and countries act like they have run out of options.

War is a terrible thing for humans to do to each other.

Those words from Matthew’s Gospel that we heard earlier present with us a good challenge, and the only real solution to the problem:

“You’re blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right.

Then you can see God in the outside world.”

The place where we can do the most to work for peace, is inside of us, and other people. When our hearts and minds are put right, or at least more right, then we are all more likely to see God, and Godly solutions to our issues with other people.

Knowing that we do not, at present, live in a world where most people’s hearts and minds have been put right, tells us that there is still holy work to be done.

In the mean time, we can take inspiration and hope from knowing that there are people who accept responsibility to place themselves in dangerous situations, even as they hope and pray that another way can be found to resolve our problems.

A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of meeting a Canadian naval officer named Emily, on the occasion of her impending marriage to another naval officer, David. Emily is an impressive young woman. She is a talented writer.

Because of a family connection, we were able to ask Emily to write a Remembrance Day reflection for us, which I would now like to read:

Remembrance Day – A reflection from the ranks

Some people go through life having no real connection to the Canadian Forces.  Most are limited to a distant relative who wears the uniform or a great grandfather who died alone in the middle of Germany in WWII.

I had grandparents who served but there was never any pressure to join to continue the tradition.  Growing up in Ontario there is little exposure to the military and I certainly did not dream about being a Naval Officer in the Royal Canadian Navy.  Remembrance Day for me when I was younger was a day when I stood out in the freezing rain with others and listened to names I didn’t recognize being read and watched wreaths being laid by decorated veterans.  There was no real connection for me.  Even when I joined the Canadian Forces and went through basic training I didn’t feel connected.  I made it through the long hard days with an 80lbs ruck sack on my back, a rifle in my hand and a prayer for my next meal and chance to sleep driving me forward –  not a sense of pride or tradition or of following the footsteps of those taken before me.  I felt no real connection until I met Kendra Mellish.

Kendra Mellish was, to keep things simple, a serving mother who was married to a serving husband.  Together they served in the army and the only reason I would have ever met her was because she was taking her commission to become an Officer.  We knew of each other but didn’t know each other.  We worked together, trained together, and struggled together during basic training which creates a bond; therefore I will always have this connection with her. 

At the end of our course there was a graduation parade and reception afterwards.  Kendra sought permission from command to miss graduation in order to spend a few more days with her husband who was going off to Afghanistan shortly after she returned from training.  Since we all understood the gravity of Afghanistan her request was quickly approved and she left for home.  Within the first two months of her husbands tour he was killed by an IED (improvised explosive device). 

I never met her husband – but I knew her, I knew she loved him, and I knew they had kids and a family in Petawawa.  And now he was gone.  Now there was a gap in their lives.  Now she would wake up every morning without her husband and her kids without a father.  I grieved for this man I never knew and for the family without their father, and it finally sunk in. 

A gap—a hole—a pit; a missing piece of your soul.  This is what is left behind when someone is lost.  When you lose someone, part of grieving and moving on is to fill this gap, hole, or pit with something of substance.  Some people fill it with happy memories, others with reaching out to those in need.  Some take up hobbies, live more adventurously, while others finally learn to live a full life. 

What makes remembering those we lost during war and conflict important is that it is a collective loss.   The world not only lost their sons, daughters, fathers, husbands, and brothers – we lost a part of our future.  During the World Wars whole towns and cities gave up their strongest men for war and often they did not return.  Whole communities had to learn to carry on without their working members and together they grieved for those lost forever.  Who could the men and women we’ve lost grown up to be?  Did we lose the doctor who could have cured cancer; did we lose inventors, and scientists and teachers who could have made a significant impact?

Those lost to war and conflict lose their future.  They lose the opportunity to grow as an individual, to fall in love, create a family and grow old.  They lose the opportunities afforded to us which we all too often take for granted.  And they do this willingly.  They make a mental decision to join the military although there is an inherent risk of injury and death because the goals are bigger than the risk.  To defend the civil rights of Canadians, to end conflict, to deter war and inhumane atrocities.  To maintain our freedoms and liberties.  To secure our future. 

Today I ask you to remember those lost, past and presently, by finding a small way to make your life and the life of those around you that much better.  Live a full and happy life and honour the men and women who have given up their lives for serving you and Canada.  Honour their lost opportunity at life by living yours extraordinarily.   Amen

Scripture Passages on Peace

“if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink…” Romans 12:20

Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Isaiah 2:4

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward all” Luke 2:14

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. Romans 14:19

There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil, but joy for those who promote peace. Proverbs 12:20

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. Colossians 3:15

Mend your ways, heed my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 2 Corinthians 13:11.

I will both lie down and sleep in peace; for you alone, O God, make me lie down in safety. Psalm 4:8

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God” Matthew 5:9

“I beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Galatians 5:22

Love and fidelity have come together; justice and peace join hands. Psalm 85:10

In the tender compassion of our God, the dawn from heaven will break upon us, to shine on those who live in darkness, under the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Luke 1:78-79

For you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall burst into song, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Isaiah 55:12

“…be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:49

“I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them; and I will bless them and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary among them forevermore.” Ezekiel 37:26

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:3

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits… James 3:17

God shall judge between the nations; and shall arbitrate for many peoples; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Isaiah 2:4

What does God require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8

May God give strength to God’s people and bless them with peace! Psalm 29:11

Let me hear what God will speak, for God will speak peace to God’s people, to the faithful, to those who turn to God in their hearts. Psalm 85:8

Happy are those who find wisdom, and those who get understanding, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace. Proverbs 3:13, 17

The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. Isaiah 32:17

How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of the messenger who announces peace, who brings good news, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.” Isaiah 52:7

These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another, render in your gates judgments that are true and make for peace, do not devise evil in your hearts against one another, and love no false oath. Zecharaiah 8:16

Finally, brothers and sisters, farewell. Put things in order, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 1 Corinthians 13:11

Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways. 2 Thessalonians 3:16

May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance. Jude 2