Mid-Week Message - August 20

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

(No – you’re not a day off on the calendar!  I’m sending this mid-week message a day early this week, as I’m going on retreat with some colleagues for a few days beginning tomorrow. I’ll still be available by telephone in case of emergency, but I won’t be checking my e-mail very often between Wednesday and Saturday.)

Those of us who were at Westfield church on Sunday morning (in-person or virtually) got to hear Bertis play and sing a powerful arrangement of the song "True Colours," and two days later my ears are still ringing with his proclamation of "Don’t be afraid!" towards the end.

When you read the bible, whenever an angel appears their first words are usually, "Don’t be afraid." This might mean that angels are inherently scary (they are other-worldly beings, after all, messengers from God), but I also think that this is an important part of God’s message to us.  Don’t be afraid.

Which is easier said than done.  Sometimes it feels as though everything in the world is conspiring to inspire fear.  The political situation (and sometimes politicians even play this up, by making us afraid, then encouraging us to vote for them and their party, because they are the only ones who can protect us).  The ecological and climate situation.  The economic situation.  The threats of war in different corners of the world.

And yet the message from God, delivered by the angels, remains the same. Don’t be afraid.

We don’t need to be afraid, because God is always with us, closer to us than our very breath.

We don’t need to be afraid, because we are part of a community, and we will walk alongside each other through all of our fears.

We don’t need to be afraid, because we trust that love is always stronger than our fears.

We don’t need to be afraid, because even though God’s timeline is much longer than we can imagine, God is slowly turning the earth towards love and peace.

May the song of the angels, "Don’t be afraid" ring in your ears; and may the hope that is a gift from God rest in your heart, today and always.

In terms of announcements this week:

• We still have a couple more movie nights to go this summer:

  Tonight (Aug. 20) we will be watching The Muppet Christmas Carol

  Next week (Aug. 27) we will be watching Field of Dreams

  The movies start at 7pm in the parlour at Westfield United Church – the popcorn is always popped; feel free to bring your beverage of choice!

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Summerville United Church (outside, weather permitting) and at 11:15 at Westfield United Church and on Facebook Live. The date is going to be August 25, so we will be celebrating Christmas in August, 4 months before the actual day! Our movie tie-in will be The Muppet Christmas Carol, and our scripture reading will be Isaiah 35:1-10.  (If you haven’t had a chance to see this movie, it is available for streaming on Disney+; but any version of the story or Dickens’ novel itself, would familiarize you with the story.)

• Summerville Art Festival – a reminder that this is happening this week, with a couple of advance talks happening at Summerville United Church on Wednesday and Thursday evening, and the festival itself on Saturday from 11:30-5. The best way to find the details is on the festival’s website or Facebook page.

• Vacation Bible School – We are having our annual VBS on Monday August 26 at Long Reach United Church from 9am – 4pm. All children are welcome to attend – from any of our three churches, from other churches, or from no church at all! There is no cost (but if you want to contribute something, donations of non-perishable food to Ida’s Cupboard are always welcome). We have a lifeguard for a couple of hours in the morning, so bring your swimsuit and towel (and lifejacket/floaties if needed) as we plan to go swimming at the wharf. Meals and snacks will be provided; please bring a water bottle.

• Gospel Concert – our neighbours at Trinity Anglican Church in Kingston are going to be holding a gospel concert on Friday (August 23) at 7pm. Admission is by freewill offering with proceeds going to the cemetery fund. Performers include Sylvia Campbell, Fraser Smith, Allison Inch, Bob Johnson, and Long Reach United Church’s very own Kate Dickie!

• Conference Paper – several of you asked to read the paper that I presented at the L. M. Montgomery conference back in June. I have uploaded the paper and slides to my blog, and you can read it by clicking here.

• Some upcoming dates:

  Church Picnic:  Sunday September 8, 11am, 100 Admiral Lane (Long Reach). We will worship on the beach, then share in “the year’s best potluck.” Bring a lawn chair, a dish to share at the potluck, your plate/cutlery, and water bottle (or other beverage).

  Bible Study:  We will be resuming on Wednesday September 4 and continuing every Wednesday after that. 10-11:30am each week in the parlour at Westfield United Church.

  Session and Official Board:  Our September meetings will be held on Wednesday September 18 at Long Reach United Church (Session at 6:30 and Official Board at 7:30). Watch for communication from the chairs in the coming weeks!

And I think that’s it for announcements this week!

For a closing thought this week, because I am going to be driving to and from my retreat this week, and because I like to listen to audiobooks when I am driving, here are a couple of audiobooks I have enjoyed listening to in the past year-ish.  (All borrowed from the library!)

Demon Copperhead (Barbara Kingsolver) – a re-imagining of David Copperfield set in the American south in the 1980s through to the present

A Rip Through Time (Kelley Armstrong) – time travel / murder mystery

Run Towards the Danger (Sarah Polley) – essays about her experience as a child actor

Moon of the Crusted Snow (Waubegeshig Rice) – Canadian Indigenous post-apocalyptic novel (and I’m going to be listening to the sequel, Moon of the Turning Leaves, on this trip)

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)