Mid-Week Message - November 5

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

This past August, the General Council of the United Church of Canada elected our new Moderator, the spiritual head of the denomination - the Rt. Rev. Kimberly Heath. (There was a funny story in Calgary the night after the voting process concluded - she and a friend were taking an Uber, and they were chatting with the driver about why they were in Calgary, and her friend said that Kimberly had just been elected as Moderator. The driver was confused, so the friend clarified by saying, "She's our pope!")

Anyways, one of the things that she did early in her time as Moderator was to set up a Moderator of the United Church Facebook account so that we can follow along and see what she is up to.  Previous Moderators have set up Facebook accounts in their own name, but then when their 3-year term as Moderator ended, there was always the question of what to do with that account. This new page is not set up under a specific name, but rather under the title of Moderator, so in 2028 when we elect our next Moderator, this same Facebook account will pass on to her successor.  (If you aren't already following this account, you can find it by clicking here.)

All of this to say, on Saturday she made a post for November 1, grumbling about how it is hard to feel grateful in November, and asking all of us to chime in with what we are grateful for at this time of year. Most of the comments are lovely to read (you can see them by clicking here), and they are a reminder that gratitude doesn't depend on our circumstances.  We can feel grateful even in November when the leaves have fallen leaving the tree branches bare, even when the sun is setting at 5pm, even when the Toronto Blue Jays have lost the World Series.  We can choose gratitude because God is good, because God is love, because we are loved, and because we are called to love. We can choose gratitude, even in November!

My response to her question was that I am grateful for November. I am grateful for the stark beauty that the falling leaves reveal. I am grateful for long cozy evenings. I am grateful for the rhythm of November around the church which is a time of preparation ahead of the busyness of Advent.

What about you? What are you grateful for, this first week of November?

(And would it be useful to have somewhere we could regularly name our gratitude? On the Two Rivers Facebook Page, we already have a space to add our prayers most Wednesdays, and a theological reflection on Thursdays. Maybe we could have a regular Saturday gratitude post as we wind up the week?)

Moving on to announcements:

• Worship on Sunday will be at 9:15 at Long Reach and 11:15 at Westfield and on Facebook Live. This week, we will include an act of remembrance at the start of the service as we lay a wreath at the front of the church, and both services will include communion. (For those of you joining us online, you will want to have some bread or a cracker at hand, as well as some juice, so that you can join the feast.) Our bible reading is a challenging one to preach on this week, because on the surface, it looks like Jesus is arguing legal technicalities with a group of legal experts. But to me, Jesus answers by telling the experts that they are asking the wrong question. If you want to see what I mean, you can read Luke 20:27-38.

• Remembrance Day Services will be held in a number of places next Tuesday.  If you are on the Peninsula, the service will be at the Branch 62 Legion in Moss Glen, starting at 10:45 (but knowing how many people will be there, plan to arrive early to find parking and a place to stand). If you are in Grand Bay-Westfield, the service will be at the Cenotaph in Veteran's Peace Park. Attendees are asked to be there by 10:15. This service will be livestreamed to the Legion Facebook Page which you can access by clicking here. And finally, if you are in town, the big Saint John service will be at TD Station, and you are asked to be seated no later than 10:20am.

• Bible Study continues on Wednesday mornings at 10am in the parlour at Westfield. We always have great conversations, but this morning was especially profound. Everyone is always welcome!

• Sock it To Me - thank you to everyone at Summerville and Westfield who brought their mittens and gloves to church last Sunday - Bette already has several garbage bags full to bring to Romero House from your churches. This Sunday will be Long Reach's turn to "sock it to me" at the start of the service (but before we light the Christ Candle so as not to create a fire hazard lol).

• Westfield Remembrance Day Dinner - tickets are available at the Grand Bay Home Hardware for $20. Eat-In or Take-Out; 4pm or 5pm.

• Westfield Sunday School Teachers - With Ken's departure, it would be a shame to lose the momentum we have been building this fall with our Sunday School. I am hoping to build a list of Sunday School Teachers who might be willing to offer this ministry once every 3 weeks (if we get 6 people stepping forward) or once every 4 weeks (if 8 of you step forward). All of the resources will be provided to you - you won't need to plan anything (unless you are the sort of person who wants to plan things!). Please talk to me if you might be interested or would like more information.

• Advent Candles - Cindy Patstone has received a big shipment of Advent Candles! (And her cats are happy that they have a new box and packing paper to play with!) These are candles that you burn down a little bit each day beginning on December 1, and when you get to the bottom of the candle, it is Christmas. They will be for sale after November 11 - $15 each, or 2 for $25. If you are at Westfield, you can talk to Cindy; if you are on the Peninsula, I will have a box of them in my car for the second half of November and you can buy them from me. This is an annual fundraiser for the church, with all proceeds going back into the ministry of our church.

• Upcoming Dates:

  Nov. 18 - Asking The Big Questions, 4:30-6

  Nov. 19 - Session at 6:30; Official Board at 7:30

  Dec. 7 - Queerly Beloved at 7pm

• Christmas Letter - I wrote this year's letter on Monday, and Elaine is now working to make it look pretty, print it, and stuff all the envelopes after I have signed them. They will be available at Summerville and Westfield on November 16, and at Long Reach on November 23. This will include the full Advent and Christmas schedule on the back (and hopefully we don't have to do too much re-scheduling due to power outages and snow storms this year!). As always, we ask you to please help us save on postage by taking not just your letter, but letters that you can deliver to people in your neighbourhood, or people you might see.
  

Thank You Corner! This week's "thank you" goes out to our tellers at Westfield United Church. Every Sunday, two of them head into the office and count the offering and prepare the deposit. The job has changed over the past decade as more and more of us are donating to the church through PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance - talk to me or your church's treasurer if you want to know more), but most weeks I can hear laughter coming from next door as they do this necessary job with joy. Thank you - your contribution matters and is noticed!

For a closing thought this week, I want to share a YouTube video with you that I watched last week called "What a Week as a Hobbit Taught Me About Capitalism." (I prefer the original title on this video:  "The Opposite of Capitalism is... Hobbit?") So much of this video resonated deeply with me. Even if you aren't interested in Tolkien, Middle Earth, Hobbits, or fantasy stories, you might want to give it a watch. If you are worried about how our world is these days, you might have the same experience watching this as I did - a profound hope that a different way of being is possible. You can watch the video 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)