Dear Friends of South Bay and Picton United Churches;
Good Morning once again. I hope that, as you read Today’s Post, you and your loved ones are well. It is difficult to believe that we are in our 10th week of our new practice of staying home – in order to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 Virus.
May this Reflection this morning bring you hope, and may God grant you courage for these difficult days.
Grace and peace with pastoral love and support,
Rev. Phil
On this Wednesday of the Fourth Week in the Easter Season, I want to reflect with you on words from our United Church of Canada “Song of Faith”:
“The Risen Christ lives today, present to us and the source of our hope. In response to who Jesus was and to all he did and taught, to his life, death and resurrection, and to his continuing presence with us through the Spirit, we celebrate Jesus as the Word made flesh, the one in whom God and humanity are perfectly joined, the transformation of our lives, the Christ.
We sing of a church seeking to continue the story of Jesus by embodying Christ’s presence in the world.”
On a number of occasions over the past few weeks, I have recommended to you the Daily Meditations of Rev. Dr. Richard Rohr of the Centre for Action & Contemplation. (You can subscribe to his Daily Meditation, it is free, by email, by contacting cac.org.)
Today Richard writes the following words, that seem to me to be very important for us in our circumstances:
“. . .I believe most Christians have good intentions to follow Jesus’ example, but they are quickly overrun by the “me-first” norms of mainstream culture. In moments of crisis, however, we seem to tap into something deeper and truer. We remember our kinship with one another. In the first weeks of the pandemic, I heard media reports of hoarding and price gouging, but I have heard far more stories of generosity, courage, compassion, and sacrifice for the sake of others. We do not all have the same gifts, but many seem to be giving their very best.”
As your Minister I want to commend you and affirm the ways that you are finding to faithfully follow Jesus, our Compassionate Friend, even as you experience the stresses and strains of these difficult days.
Many of you are using your skills on the sewing machine to help produce Personal Protective Equipment for front-line healthcare workers and other first responders. I know that both masks and gowns are being created. Some of the masks are also being distributed to those most vulnerable to the virus.
I also hear stories of some of you who are working to meet the needs of elderly neighbours by shopping for them.
Our Picton United Church County Food Bank, and South Bay’s Canadian Food Grains Bank Growing Project, are staffed by volunteers. Thank you one and all.
Others are making sure to check in regularly with those that they know are living alone, and feeling keenly their isolation.
I want to offer a special word of thanks to our Tech Team: Debra Marshall & Tim McGinnis at PUC, and Irv Collier & Dorothy Speirs-Vincent at South Bay; for their work through the week and on Sundays, to distribute these Posts and Services & Sermons by Facebook, Website, email and hard copy (for those without computers).
Thanks also to musicians Mary Kay Morris and Sam Hirst, and Video-Recorder Operators Bruce Dowdell and Tim McGinnis, for their work in helping to bring the Services to you on You Tube.
We all hope and pray that our world will soon return to “normal” – that is, a time when we can, once again, move about freely with safety. (However, we need to pay close attention to the guidelines offered by our political leaders and public health officials, with their instructions about when that can happen.)
May God bless you each and all for the ways you are finding, daily, to care for one another and for the world – while remembering to keep up your strength by eating a balanced diet, and by finding ways to get some physical movement – walking the dog, gardening, or getting out to appreciate the glory of spring unfolding. (Always keep a safe social distance from others. 😉)
“We are called. . .by Christ as a community of broken but hopeful believers, loving what he loved, living what he taught, striving to be faithful servants of God in our time & place.”
(from “A Song of Faith”)
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