Mid-Week Message - February 11

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

Yesterday, as I was thinking about what I was going to write in my mid-week message, I had planned to write a reflection about the Winter Olympics. But then I heard about the tragedy that unfolded in Tumbler Ridge yesterday afternoon, and I've pivoted my plans.  (Depending on what happens in the world in the next 7 days, you may get to hear my thoughts on the Olympics next week instead.)

I will also say that I have a connection to Tumbler Ridge, as that town is close to the town of Chetwynd where I did my ministry internship - Chetwynd was included in the "shelter in place" order that was issued yesterday. I have reached out to some of my church connections there, letting them know that we in the east are holding them in prayer.

Tumbler Ridge is a beautiful small town, nestled into the edge of the Rocky Mountains. The big dinosaur museum in Drumheller, Alberta, has a satellite museum in Tumbler Ridge, as some fairly significant fossils have been found in the area around Tumbler Ridge. In September, the year that I was in Chetwynd, a couple from the church took me on a day trip to Tumbler Ridge to visit the museum, and to go hiking along a trail where you can see dinosaur footprints fossilized into the rock you are walking across. I even have a stone (it is on the table of stones and shells next to the door of my office) from Tumbler Ridge where you can clearly see the fossilized shells.

The View from the Hike at Tumbler Ridge

Sometimes people talk about making meaning when a tragedy unfolds, but sometimes there is no meaning to be found.  There is no sense in something as senseless as the murder of teenage children.  Children who will forever be children, never having a chance to grow up.  Children whose futures were ended yesterday.  Parents' whose dreams were ended yesterday.

I have to confess that I am guilty of stereotyping. Until yesterday, I assumed that school shootings were a feature of the United States and couldn't happen here in Canada.  As well as grieving the senseless tragedy, I am also grieving our collective loss of innocence as a country. Because now we can't keep our heads in the sand and claim that a school shooting could never happen here.

I wish that I could use this space to help you make sense of the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, but I can't.  What keeps coming to my mind is, "A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more."

This verse is maybe most familiar from the gospel of Matthew (Mt. 2:18), when the author quotes from Jeremiah when King Herod murdered all of the children in and around Bethlehem who were 2 years of age and under.

When I turn to Jeremiah to see the original context of this verse (Jer. 31:15), it is in the context of exile and return from exile.  The people of ancient Judah had seen the invading Babylonian army destroy the city of Jerusalem, murder anyone who resisted, and carry the leaders into exile. I can only imagine the grief of the mothers of Jerusalem, watching their neighours and their children killed, then watching even more die due to the hardship of the journey into exile in Babylon.

You have heard me say it before, and I'll say it again - I don't believe that God sends or causes tragedy.  God had nothing to do with the school shooting yesterday.

But what I do believe is that God was with the students and teachers at that school yesterday, and with the people of Tumbler Ridge.  I have to believe this.  That when we face the worst moments of our lives, God doesn't abandon us, but is always embracing us with Their love, even if we aren't able to perceive it.  And I trust that God will be with the people of Tumbler Ridge in the days, weeks, months and years ahead - even when the shriek of grief is so loud that it drowns out God's voice. I have to believe this.

And so we mourn with the people of Tumbler Ridge. We share in their grief, knowing that a grief shared is a grief lessened.  Lament is a very real part of our faith tradition, and there are some situations where lament is the only possible response.

But we can also leave the door open for hope.  If you look up Jeremiah 31:15, you find Jeremiah holding space for lament.  But if you keep on reading to verse 16 and beyond, you will see that lament is not the end of the story.  In the midst of grief, Jeremiah promises that it won't always be this way.

But for today, as we lament, please pray with me:

God of All People,

be with the people of Tumbler Ridge,

and especially, be with the parents of Tumbler Ridge.

Hold them in your tender love.

Help them to know that they aren't alone.

And be with us as we share their grief.

How long, O God, will such horrors happen?

We ask you to transform our world,

so that senseless tragedies like this

might become a thing of the past.

We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ,

the crucified and resurrected one.

Amen.

That was a longer reflection than usual this week, but I still have some announcements to pass along this week. (And as we move close to Lent, the list is growing again!)

• What's going On? How do we Respond? - I have been a part of several conversations this winter about what is going on in the US, and how the church can respond. Three of my United Church colleagues have invited a colleague in Minneapolis to lead a Zoom call about the situation in the US, and what it is like to be church in the middle of the chaos. They have opened it up to anyone who would like to learn more. It is happening tomorrow, Feb. 12, and will be at 8pm in our time zone. (Unfortunately I won't be able to join, as I am at choir practice at that time.) If you want to view the poster, you can click here, and if you want to register (you have to register to receive the Zoom link), you can click here.

• Worship on Sunday - this is the first of our Annual Meeting Sundays!  Long Reach - remember that we are gathering 15 minutes earlier than usual, at 9:00, and we will be in the River Room. Westfield - we will gather at our usual time of 11:15 in-person and on Facebook Live. (Unfortunately those of you joining us on Facebook don't count towards quorum and aren't eligible to vote, as we have no way of verifying the identity of the person behind the screen name.) As in previous years, worship will be woven together with the meeting, so you'll still get to sing and pray and hear a reflection, in addition to doing the work of being the church.

• Annual Report - paper copies of the Annual Report are now available in all three of our churches. Alas, the file size is slightly too big for me to attach the pdf to this email, but I've uploaded it to our website - if you would like an electronic copy of the annual report, click here to take you to our website, scroll down to "Annual Reports" and click on the button that says 2025.

• Asking the Big Questions - our February gathering will be next week, Tuesday February 17, from 4:30-6pm in the parlour at Westfield United, with pizza at the end. This month's question will be:  "What does it mean to be created in God's image?" Who is God? How are we God's image? What are the implications of this? As always, I am confident that we will have a great discussion as we dive into these questions with a variety of prompts and activities!

• Encounters With Paul - this is a 6-week bible study that Steve will be leading, as part of his student placement with us - Wednesdays from 10-11:30 in the Parlour at Westfield United Church, beginning next week, Feb. 18. Each week, he will be leading a study of the epistle reading that the lectionary assigns to the coming Sunday (mostly from Romans), and connecting it with the gospel reading for that Sunday (mostly from John). To see his poster, you can click here. Everyone is invited to join! No prior bible study experience is necessary.

• Ash Wednesday - the season of Lent begins next Wednesday, Feb. 18, and the first day in Lent is marked as Ash Wednesday. We begin the season reminded that we are all mortal - at the beginning of our service, our foreheads are marked with ashes as we hear the words, "From dust you have come, and to dust you will return." But we also look beyond Lent to Easter, and are reminded that death is not the end of our story, and at the end of our service, we share in communion as we are reminded that we find our identity in Christ. Our Ash Wednesday service will be on Feb. 18 at 7pm at Westfield United Church - you can see the poster by clicking here.

• Pray for Peace with Hands and Heart - our Lenten prayer gatherings will begin on Tuesday February 24 at 7pm, with the following schedule:

  Feb. 24 - Westfield - Peace Within Me

  March 3 - Summerville - Peace Within Families

  March 10 - Long Reach - Peace Within Communities

  March 17 - Westfield - Peace Within Canada

  March 24 - Summerville - Peace Between Nations

  March 31 - Long Reach - Peace Within Creation
  

Thank You Corner - this week, I want to thank our creative types around the pastoral charge - especially those of you who are willing to be conversation and planning partners with me! I've recently had two excellent planning sessions - Karol Waters is partnering with me to lead our Pray for Peace gatherings, and Ellen Flemming partnered with me to plan this month's Asking the Big Question. Thank you to both of you - your creativity and input will make both of these exponentially better than what I could come up with on my own!

And finally, for a closing thought this week, I want to share an article that I read earlier this week:  "Seven reasons why hosting a silly little potluck (or game night, or porch hang, or book club, or group hike) is essential to defeating fascism."  It is a beautiful exploration on the value of building community.  You can read it by clicking here.

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)