May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!
Are you enjoying this beautiful winter that we are having this year? Having spent most of my adult life in northwestern Ontario (which, if you have never been there, has all of the beauty of the Canadian Shield with rocks and lakes and hills and trees, but with a prairie climate), I love "proper" winter weather! Those cold but brilliantly sunny days we had last week were just my cup of tea.
As I sit here writing this e-mail, I'm in my office at the Westfield Church, looking out the windows at the little wooded area behind the church. The trees are bare (which means that on clear days, the sunlight comes flooding in here), and there is some light snow drifting down. Much prettier than if it were drizzling with rain!
On the surface, it might look like a landscape that is devoid of life. There is nothing green, nothing moving, not even any colours beyond the grey skies, the grey-grown tree trunks, and the white of snow. There aren't even any squirrels scurrying out there today; the neighbour's cat (who sometimes hangs out in that bit of woods) must be inside where it is warm; and the birds are elsewhere today.
And yet even though this landscape looks lifeless (and at this point in the winter, it starts to feel as though it is never going to end), I do know that those trees that I'm looking at are still alive. I know that in just a month's time, the sap is going to begin flowing in those trunks and those branches (maple syrup makers out there - are you starting to prepare for the season?). I know that 3 months from now, there will be buds all over those trees, and in 4 months the leaves will be out in full and it will be hard to imagine that it ever looked this bleak and lifeless.
To me, this is the definition of hope. Hope means looking at the bleakness in the world, and knowing, with every fiber of our being, that this isn't the end of the story. I've sometimes said that we don't need hope at the summer solstice (June 21) because we are already in full sunlight - the time that we need hope is at the winter solstice (December 21) when it feels like the sun will never return.
In the Facebook circles I tend to hang out in, there has been a lot of talk about hope these past couple of weeks. I truly believe that, in the face of all of the fear in the world right now, hope is one of the most powerful tools of resistance that we have. When we hold on tightly to hope, we are saying to the fear in the world around us (and to all of the forces creating the fear), "You don't get to have the last word." We are trusting, with every fiber of our being, that something better is coming. And hope doesn't let us give up, as we wait for that day.
So whether you draw your hope from knowing that those lifeless trees will some day be in full leaf, or whether you draw your hope from the Easter story which tells us that even when it seemed on Good Friday as though death had won, resurrection always follows - no matter where you draw your hope from, this is the time to hold it tight. Know that the worst time is never the last time; know that love will always be stronger than fear and hatred; know that the darkest hour of the night will always be followed by the dawn; know that even in the mid-winter, spring is just around the corner.
And when we hold on to our hope, we are telling the forces of fear and hatred in the world - your days are numbered, and you won't get the last word in the story.
In terms of announcements this week:
Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Long Reach and 11:15 at Westfield and on Facebook Live. Elaine came into my office a couple of minutes ago trying to figure out what bulletin cover to use this week, saying "There's a lot going on on February 2!" She's right - it is Groundhog Day, it is Candlemas (an ancient festival where the candles for the year were brought to church for blessing), it is Imbolic (in the Celtic Calendar, the mid-point between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox), it is the Feast of the Presentation, where the infant Jesus was presented in the temple, and it is the Feast of the Purification where Mary was ritually purified 40 days after giving birth! On Sunday, we will be reading the story about Jesus's presentation in the temple - Luke 2:22-40, in case you want to read it ahead of time!
Joanne Yorke's Funeral - thank you for keeping Jim and the rest of their family in your prayers. As I mentioned in Monday's e-mail, Joanne's funeral will be at Westfield United Church at 11am on Saturday February 1. Her full obituary is now available on the Brenan's website - you can view it by clicking here.
Bible Study - there is no bible study next Wednesday (February 5) as I will be going to the Snow Centre along with the Long Reach Singers to offer a worship service there. Bible Study will resume the following Wednesday.
Choir Concert - a reminder of the upcoming concert, Stop! In the Name of Love is coming up at Westfield United Church on Thursday February 13 at 7pm. All of the music explores the different aspects of love - romantic love, love for creation, friendship-love, God's love. There will be something for everyone! You can see the full poster by clicking here.
Annual Meetings:
Long Reach United Church - Sunday February 16, 9:00am
Westfield United Church - Sunday February 16, 11:15am
Two Rivers Pastoral Charge - Wednesday February 19, 7:30pm
Bayswater-Summerville United Church - Sunday February 23, 9:00am
As in previous years, the three congregational annual meetings will be woven together with the worship service, while the charge annual meeting will be in the parlour at Westfield United Church.
And I think that's it for announcements today!
For a closing thought, I want to share a link to my favourite Easter hymn (even though we haven't even started the season of Lent yet) because it is a hymn that speaks to the same hope that I started this reflection with - "Joy Comes with the Dawn" - you can listen to it by clicking here. (This is also on my list of "Hymns I want Sung at My Funeral.")
Blessings to you and yours, today and always!
Kate.
Rev. Kate Jones
Two Rivers Pastoral Charge
(506) 757-2201 (office)
(506) 343-1307 (mobile)
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)
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