Mid-Week Message - July 1

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

And happy Canada Day!

One phrase that you may have heard floating around in the public discourse in the past couple of years is "Christian Nationalism" and I was thinking that today, Canada's national holiday, might be a good day to talk about what is Christian Nationalism (and what it isn't).

"Christian Nationalism is defined as an anti-democratic notion that a nation is to be governed by Christian principles and uphold Christian values, all for the benefit of Christian people." (Center for American Progress) At this moment in history, while we can see examples of Christian Nationalism most clearly in our neighbours to the south of us, you don't have to go very far to see it popping up in Canadian politics too.

What does this look like in practice? It looks like a political assumption that Christianity (usually a very specific interpretation of Christianity) is the only true faith, even though Canada has the Charter of Rights and Freedoms which protects the rights of religious minorities, 2SLGBTQIA+ people, and women (all of whom are usually discriminated against in the Christian Nationalism version of Christianity).

Christian Nationalists believe that all positions of political power and influence should be held by Christians (by a specific "flavour" of Christians), that church and state should not be separate, that Christianity (again, a specific flavour of Christianity) should be funded by tax dollars, that a nation's laws and policies should be founded on a specific interpretation of Christianity, and that so-called "traditional values" (e.g. a gender hierarchy and the primacy of nuclear families) should be upheld and promoted.

This spills over to so many of the disturbing issues that we see on the news today, including increasing anti-immigration rhetoric alongside more overt racism and Islamophobia, anti-trans legislation in multiple jurisdictions, and Zionist sympathies.

In my understanding (and practice) of Christianity, all people have inherent worth - all people (of every religion - or none; of every nationality; of every gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation; of every language; of every skin colour) are created in God's image. God's image includes everyone, and God loves all people (and all nations) equally.  In my perspective, Christian Nationalism is a heresy.

(For further reading:  The Theology and Inter-Faith Committee of the United Church of Canada is currently working on a statement to explicitly reject the principles of Christian Nationalism. You can read the proposal that came to General Council last summer to initiate this process by clicking here.)

So what does this mean for Canada Day? These are some of my thoughts:

• Go ahead and celebrate Canada! We are a beautiful country with some beautiful values (like care for and support of our neighbours) that we can celebrate.  BUT we should make sure that our celebration of Canada isn't at the expense of putting down other countries, or implying that God favours Canada more than other places.

• Go ahead and celebrate Canada! BUT we also shouldn't ignore the more painful parts of our history - things like residential schools, the sixties scoop, the Japanese internment camps, the Chinese head tax...

• Go ahead and celebrate Canada!  BUT we also have to remember that Canada didn't begin with the first European settlers. In this corner of the world, we live on the unceded land of the Wabanaki people, and we are participants in treaties of peace and friendship.

• Go ahead and celebrate Canada! BUT we also need to acknowledge (confess?) the ways that our own church has participated in Christian Nationalism. The United Church of Canada ran 15 residential schools between 1925 and 1963, with the explicit intent of "christianizing" Indigenous people. And did you know that the Moderator of the United Church of Canada used to meet regularly with the Prime Minister of Canada? (The lure of the promise of political power and influence is strong!)

• Go ahead and celebrate Canada! BUT we can also pray for our country - praying that we continue to be a place where diversity is celebrated, praying that we can continue to offer safe harbour to people in need of refuge, praying that we can continue to value loving our neighbour in practical ways.

A bit more political than usual this week, but this is an important conversation. (I also recommend the book Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez - I spoke about it a couple of years ago when I first read it, as it helped me to better understand what was going on in the world.)

Moving on to announcements for this week:

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Long Reach and 11:15 at Westfield and Facebook Live. This week, we'll be starting our summer worship series, A Seussian Summer! Each week, we'll be reading a different Dr. Seuss book in our Story for All Ages, and the story will be paired with scripture for the sermon.  We begin this week with a classic:  Green Eggs and Ham!

• Westfield Strawberry Dinner - I picked up my ticket for the dinner the other day, and was told at Home Hardware that tickets are selling fast. There are only a limited number available and they must be purchased in advance, so you probably want to get yours soon (if you haven't already). This is a drive-through dinner that includes ham, salads, and strawberry shortcake; tickets are $18 each and can be purchased at the Grand Bay Home Hardware (cash only, please). The dinner will be next week on Thursday July 9, with pick-up times of 4:00, 4:30, and 5:00. You can see the poster by clicking here.

• Summer Movie Nights - our summer Church Family Movie Nights are back beginning next Tuesday, July 7, at 7pm in the parlour at Westfield United Church. Our first movie will be The Sheep Detectives - a 2026 film about a herd of sheep who try to solve the mystery of the murder of their shepherd (who used to read mystery novels to them). The popcorn will be popped, and you are welcome to bring your beverage of choice.  (I haven't scheduled all of the movies for the summer yet, so if there is one that you would like to watch, please let me know!)

• Caregiver Support Network - the Alzheimer Society, in partnership with Nursing Homes Without Walls and the town of Grand Bay-Westfield, is going to be offering a monthly support group for family and friends of people living with dementia. The next gathering will be on Monday July 20 from 2-3pm, and registration is required by contacting Chloe Tower at education@alzheimernb.ca or 1-800-664-8411. You can see the full poster by clicking here.

• Flower Services - you probably already have these on your calendar, but this is a reminder that our annual Flower Services will be held this month. These services are an opportunity to remember people in our church, in our communities, and in our lives who have died in the past year (along with other people whose memories we carry) as we build a bouquet of memories. This year's dates are:

  Westfield - Sunday July 12 at 11:15am

  Summerville - Sunday July 12 at 2:00pm

  Long Reach - Sunday July 19 at 11:00am

Thank You Corner - This week's thank-you goes out to Mary Kennedy-Fulton for stepping up to lead worship the past two Sundays when I was on vacation. Thank you, Mary, for sharing your gift for worship leadership with our Pastoral Charge!

For a closing thought this week, let me share a couple of fun songs for Canada Day. The Arrogant Worms are a musical comedy group from Kingston Ontario, and last week when I was on PEI, as we were driving out to catch a sunset at Cavendish, my friend Liz asked if I had any Arrogant Worms on my phone. I do have one of their albums, and these two songs are back to back:  Canada's Really Big, and Proud to Be Canadian. Enjoy! (And if you want to explore more of their music, you can do so on their website. I especially enjoy "The Last Saskatchewan Pirate" and "Carrot Juice is Murder.")

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)