Mid-Week Message - April 3

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!

There is so much going on in the world today that I could use as a springboard to my opening reflection.  Tariffs and trade wars dominate the news cycle.  There was a devastating earthquake in Myanmar last weekend.  Politicking is happening across the country as we move towards an election at the end of the month.  Red Cross/Red Crescent Aid Workers were killed in Gaza.  And closer to home - the weather! It is April but we are seeing April snow storms and freezing rain rather than showers this year, at a time when all of us are longing for the season to change faster than it is.

But rather than tackle any one of these issues (or make an attempt to talk about each of them and make a mess of things), what I will say is that the world in general seems to be experiencing a time of grief, a time of either acute fear or generalized anxiety, a time of despair, a time of compassion fatigue and burnout, a time of anger, a time of uncertainty.

And on top of all of this, I'm also sensing a deep longing for everything to be all right in the world.

Yes, there are places and moments of joy in all of the mess, but in general, this is what I am sensing from the world at this moment.

If you identify with anything that I've named above, then this message is for you.

As I spoke about last Sunday (and two weeks before that), the Apostle Paul reminds us that our ultimate citizenship lies in the kingdom of God (Phil 3:17-4:1).  There has never been a time in the world where everything has been perfect.  We humans are imperfect, and we have a tendency to mess things up no matter when or where we are living.  That longing that we feel for everything to be all right isn't a longing for some nostalgic time in the past - I might suggest that it is a longing for God's perfect kingdom, where weeping and crying are no more, when all suffering has ended, where only love reigns. That thing that we long for is where our citizenship lies.

But again, last Sunday I said that we aren't only citizens of God's kingdom, but we are also ambassadors for it (2 Cor. 5:16-21). We aren't free to abandon or to stop caring about the world we live in.  Instead, we are called to be representatives of God's kingdom in our world.  We are called to live God's way of love and grace and radical generosity and compassion and peace-making, even when (and especially when) these run contrary to the primary narrative of the world.

The world isn't going to be made perfect overnight (and probably not in any of our lifetimes), but we trust that all of our deepest longings will be fulfilled some day. God's kingdom is unfolding all around us, and some day it will reach its completion.  We are getting close to Easter, and we know that with the resurrection of Jesus, the seeds of this new world have been planted; and any time we see new life appearing out of death, we can be reminded that our hopes are not in vain.

Easter is almost here.  As we wait, let us hold each other close, let us encourage each other, and let us keep on loving the world with the radical, unconditional, limitless love of Jesus.  And maybe then, we can be the sign of hope and new life for others.

Moving on to this week's announcements:

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Summerville and 11:15 at Westfield and on FB Live. This week, we will be reading the story where Mary (sister of Martha and Lazarus) anoints Jesus's feet with expensive perfumed oil, then wipes them with her hair - John 12:1-8. (Also - especially for Peninsula folks - don't forget that Sunday is also Joel C.'s birthday, and I'm sure that he will appreciate your well-wishes!)

• Westfield After-Church Socials - I can only speak for myself, but our Lenten after-church socials have been delightful this year! Thank you to Session for organizing these, making the tea/coffee, and organizing the clean-up afterwards. This week, anyone with a last name between Q and Z is invited to bring something ("eats and sweets") to share with the rest of us!

• Bible Study - we have 2 weeks left in our Lenten reading of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. Even if you missed the first part, you are welcome to join us on Wednesday at 10am in the parlour at Westfield United Church!

• Asking the Big Questions - Our next monthly gathering is on Tuesday April 15 at 4:30pm in the Parlour at Westfield United Church. This month's question will be "What's so Good about Good Friday?" and we'll be exploring what Holy Week and Easter mean to all of us. These aren't teaching sessions - instead, these monthly gatherings are an opportunity to discuss and share with each other, using a variety of prompts and smaller questions.

• Holy Week Services - a reminder of the schedule:

  Maundy Thursday - April 17, 6pm, Westfield United Church St. Giles Room (133 Nerepis Rd). This service will be woven together with a catered meal, provided by Debbie Childs. The meal is pay-what-you-can (if you are looking for guidance, the cost of the meal to the church is $20, not including a tip, but if you can't pay that much, that is OK, and if you want to pay a bit more to help cover those who can't afford as much, that is also gratefully received). I took a show-of-hands the last couple of Sundays to get a sense of how many people will be there, but if you didn't put up your hand and your schedule changes, come anyways! Just like the loaves and the fish, there will be food for you.

  Good Friday - April 18, 11am, Summerville United Church (1891 NB-845)

  Easter Sunrise - April 20, 6:30am, Brundage Point River Centre (4 Ferry Rd. GB-W), followed by a potluck breakfast at Westfield United Church. This service is outside, so dress for the weather (and then maybe put on another layer, as it always feels colder than you think it's going to be!).

  Easter Worship - April 20, 9:15 at Summerville; 11:15 at Westfield and on FB Live.
  

Thank You Corner - this week's thank-you goes out to Bette Ashley and her ministry of generosity. This week, she opened her house and cooked a corned beef and cabbage dinner for a group; and I know that many of us have been recipients of her cooking, her hospitality, and her generosity in the past. Thank you Bette, for all of the ways you live the love of Christ!

And for a closing thought this week, I'm going to cycle back to where this newsletter started, and share a couple of faith-based resources for the upcoming Canadian Federal Election. As I wrote last week, as the church we stay out of partisan politics; but we are called to be political as we love our neighbours.  If you are interested in exploring the connection between faith and politics, here are some resources to get you started:

• The United Church of Canada published an election resource this week, including a video at the top of the page from General Secretary Rev. Michael Blair and some practical ways that we can take action. You can access that resource by clicking here.

• Kairos is an ecumenical network that connects churches and faith communities to live out God's call to "do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God" (as the prophet Micah put it). They have also prepared an election toolkit, including background on a number of issues, how to engage with candidates, and some suggested questions. You can access it by clicking here.

• The Canadian Foodgrains Bank was formed and is supported by 15 different Canadian denominations (including our United Church) with a mission of providing a Christian response to hunger. In addition to providing food relief and working for sustainable food solutions around the world, they also do political advocacy (across all parties) towards ending global hunger. You can access their election resource by clicking here.

And that's it for this week! (I apologize for getting this message out a day later than usual - it has been a hectic couple of weeks in my world.)

Blessings to you and yours, today and always!

Kate.

Rev. Kate Jones

Two Rivers Pastoral Charge

(506) 757-2201 (office)

(506) 343-1307 (mobile)

www.tworiverspastoralcharge.com

Pronouns:  she/her/hers

"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "You must love your neighbour as you love yourself."

(Matthew 22:36-39)